One of my World Of Warcraft guildmates made this video of the various WoW characters dancing, iPod style:
iPwn
It's only a minute, and it's very well done.
FYI, "pwn" is an intentional misspelling of "own". It's gamer lingo commonly used to describe that you weren't just "owned", you were freaking "pwned"! (pronunciation varies, I pronounce it like "own" with a "p" in front of it)
2005-11-30
2005-11-28
A poem about Instant Messenger (IM)
[17:59:48] KaRyn: can't you make IM into a poem instead?
[18:00:02] Adam - WCGS: ode to IM, a poem by Adam
[18:00:22] Adam - WCGS: IM stole my time, but time was fleeting
[18:00:48] Adam - WCGS: I try to think of a rhyme, but am no suceeding
[18:00:55] Adam - WCGS: am not
[18:01:20] Adam - WCGS: Customers want attention, it happens everyday
[18:01:40] Adam - WCGS: they think IM gives them that, but AFK takes it away
[18:01:47] Adam - WCGS: Oh man, that was good
[18:01:51] KaRyn: you are brilliant.
[18:01:53] Adam - WCGS: I'm blogging that
[18:00:02] Adam - WCGS: ode to IM, a poem by Adam
[18:00:22] Adam - WCGS: IM stole my time, but time was fleeting
[18:00:48] Adam - WCGS: I try to think of a rhyme, but am no suceeding
[18:00:55] Adam - WCGS: am not
[18:01:20] Adam - WCGS: Customers want attention, it happens everyday
[18:01:40] Adam - WCGS: they think IM gives them that, but AFK takes it away
[18:01:47] Adam - WCGS: Oh man, that was good
[18:01:51] KaRyn: you are brilliant.
[18:01:53] Adam - WCGS: I'm blogging that
Tycho's a dad
Tycho's son was born on the X-Box 360 US launch day, kinda appropriate. The write-up he did was well done. You forget how eloquent Tycho can be, but when he stops dropping f-bombs for a few minutes it really shows.
2005-11-22
2005-11-14
2005-11-09
More iPod stuff
The case that ships with the video iPod is just a basic slip-case, good for protection, but lousy for real life use. I found that iPod Accessories has probably the best selection for 5G iPods right now. Everything iPod comes in second on my list. And the Apple store is harldy worth looking at right now. Their 5G product page is weak.
I already miss the Contour hard shell case that I have for my 60Gig iPod photo. It fits perfectly in the ashtray of my car and doesn't slide around or get in the way of driving.
I already miss the Contour hard shell case that I have for my 60Gig iPod photo. It fits perfectly in the ashtray of my car and doesn't slide around or get in the way of driving.
Video iPod
I just bought my video iPod this morning! I'm watching my first video, "Sting - Desert Rose", on it right now.
2005-11-04
Digital Purgatory
We've all seen "Demotivators". They're funny, but Digital Purgatory has one (look on the wall in the background) that blows them all away. You've seen the "Hang in there" poster with the kitty hanging on a branch by one paw, well check this out:
Digital Purgatory #47
Warning! There are some crude words in the comic linked above.
Digital Purgatory #47
Warning! There are some crude words in the comic linked above.
2005-11-01
2005-10-29
Anaheim is great, and I guess there's some theme parks somewhere around here as well
I got to meet Scott Kurtz last night! I'm trying my best to be cool and not go fanboy on the Kurtz. We all met at the lounge in the Hilton here. It was like a continuation of our guild's Teamspeak chat; Scott entertaining all of us with stories, while we all chime in with one liners and such.
It's nice when an artist or writer (or both) that you like turns out to be so down to earth that they will hang out with you like any of your other friends. After a few people left for sleep, some of us went to a table and played poker and pool. I just sat and watched.
We have a good guild turnout, probably more than most. I wish the rest of the guild could be here with us.
In a few minutes we are meeting for breakfast, so I'm off to get some food with everyone.
It's nice when an artist or writer (or both) that you like turns out to be so down to earth that they will hang out with you like any of your other friends. After a few people left for sleep, some of us went to a table and played poker and pool. I just sat and watched.
We have a good guild turnout, probably more than most. I wish the rest of the guild could be here with us.
In a few minutes we are meeting for breakfast, so I'm off to get some food with everyone.
Blizzcon pwns!!1!!!1
Blizzcon is today and tomorrow, and after a half day of hanging out with like minded gamers, I can say this: "I love being a nerd!!1!" I'm typing this from the Anaheim Hilton right next to the convention center, and I had a freaking sweet day today.
It started at 05:30 EDT in Long Island NY. At 09:00 EDT I boarded a 6 hour coach flight from JFK to Long Beach CA. I rented a 2005 convertible Mustang and drove to Anaheim. Things were looking up. But an hour later I hopped off the 405 because the trip was taking too long, and it was looking more and more like LA. The reason for that was because I got on the 405 northbound rather than southbound. So I turned around and headed back to cover sadly familiar ground. Just an FYI for anyone that cares, route 22 shares road with 405 for a few miles. This makes it easy to mistakenly exit at the wrong place, and end up on 22 in the wrong direction.
After all that, when I made it to the convention center, I was ready to call it a day. The driving reason for me to go in was the goodie bag. I wanted LOOT!!1!!!
But when I got in, I realized just how much I love Blizzard. They put on a first rate show. The demo's were great, they had top notch cosplayers dressed in seriously cool outfits. The female human mage was particularly well done (and she is hot). They showed us Starcraft Ghost, Starcraft Invasion (which we played), and the WoW expansion: The Burning Crusade, which we played as well!!1!!one!!!
Plus, I was able to meet Mike and Jerry of Penny Arcade, and later tonight a few of us Panda's are going to hang out with our leader, Scott Kurtz!!!1!!!eleven!!!!1!!
This is turning out to be the nicest thing I've done for myself in a very long time. I'm so happy that it feels like an acceptance speech is in order.
It started at 05:30 EDT in Long Island NY. At 09:00 EDT I boarded a 6 hour coach flight from JFK to Long Beach CA. I rented a 2005 convertible Mustang and drove to Anaheim. Things were looking up. But an hour later I hopped off the 405 because the trip was taking too long, and it was looking more and more like LA. The reason for that was because I got on the 405 northbound rather than southbound. So I turned around and headed back to cover sadly familiar ground. Just an FYI for anyone that cares, route 22 shares road with 405 for a few miles. This makes it easy to mistakenly exit at the wrong place, and end up on 22 in the wrong direction.
After all that, when I made it to the convention center, I was ready to call it a day. The driving reason for me to go in was the goodie bag. I wanted LOOT!!1!!!
But when I got in, I realized just how much I love Blizzard. They put on a first rate show. The demo's were great, they had top notch cosplayers dressed in seriously cool outfits. The female human mage was particularly well done (and she is hot). They showed us Starcraft Ghost, Starcraft Invasion (which we played), and the WoW expansion: The Burning Crusade, which we played as well!!1!!one!!!
Plus, I was able to meet Mike and Jerry of Penny Arcade, and later tonight a few of us Panda's are going to hang out with our leader, Scott Kurtz!!!1!!!eleven!!!!1!!
This is turning out to be the nicest thing I've done for myself in a very long time. I'm so happy that it feels like an acceptance speech is in order.
2005-10-26
Online music stores
I fully support artists rights to get paid. I have purchased over 700 audio CD's and have no intention of ever stopping.
But I also feel that the audio I buy online is mine, and I have to right to use it anyway that I want. When I buy a song from iTunes, it will not play in WinAmp or many other media players.
If you are using iTunes version 5 or lower, you can use JHymn to strip the DRM from your legally purchased songs. It's arguable how legal this is, but I've lost no sleep.
And am I missing something about the music stores that let you rent music? The new Napster is the most popular music store that uses this model. I guess you have to think of it as an upgrade from satellite Radio, you pay monthly and when you stop paying, you don't get any of what you used to listen to. But if you have a portable audio device that can use this service, you are really locking yourself into a never ending payment plan. As soon as you stop paying, your player becomes almost useless. Sure you can still play mp3's, but that huge online database of music that you once had is now unavailable. Sucks to be you.
But I also feel that the audio I buy online is mine, and I have to right to use it anyway that I want. When I buy a song from iTunes, it will not play in WinAmp or many other media players.
If you are using iTunes version 5 or lower, you can use JHymn to strip the DRM from your legally purchased songs. It's arguable how legal this is, but I've lost no sleep.
And am I missing something about the music stores that let you rent music? The new Napster is the most popular music store that uses this model. I guess you have to think of it as an upgrade from satellite Radio, you pay monthly and when you stop paying, you don't get any of what you used to listen to. But if you have a portable audio device that can use this service, you are really locking yourself into a never ending payment plan. As soon as you stop paying, your player becomes almost useless. Sure you can still play mp3's, but that huge online database of music that you once had is now unavailable. Sucks to be you.
2005-10-10
Gullible, don't be
Why do people still send me crap e-mail, or as I call it "feces-mail"? (yeah, it's not that creative of a term, but it kinda rhymes with e-mail) I just received one from a co-worker (I'm still at my old job, until the end of this week) about how all new laptops are being manufactured with a hardware keylogger installed, that keeps track of up to 500,000 keystrokes. This is purportedly so the Department of Homeland Security can keep tabs on us, without our even knowing. Sounds real scary, right?
Well it isn't. This is another case of somebody sending on feces-mail because they WANT it to be true. Snopes cleared up the situation for me in under 3 minutes.
The guy that sent this to me is a conspiracy theorist. He's not the extreme case like you sometimes meet, maybe just a 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being "hiding your head in the ground", 5 being a normal person, and 10 being the kind of guy that wears a tin-foil cap to keep the government from reading his thoughts). This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that he brings up from time to time as an indication that we are right on the cusp of a Orwellian style "1984" government. He likens it to the "how to boil a frog" metaphor, where you start with the frog in tepid water and slowly turn the heat up, rather than just dumping Kermit into boiling water. I think you can make the correlation to the topic of government and rights infringement.
Bear in mind that this isn't a dumb guy, he is well aware of Snopes, and he should know better than to forward a mass e-mail without fact checking it! Especially to me, I'm his #1 moderator.
Thankfully, the number of "forward this to 10 people and get a wish/have good luck for a year" crap has distinctly diminished over the last few years. I don't know if I could handle much more of that. Who really thinks that this works? What religion do they subscribe to that allows for such nonsense? And if such a religion exists, how do I get a membership list? Those are the kind of idiots that will buy ANYTHING! I could probably sell their e-mail address' to spammers for $5 per person. Honestly, how much common sense does it take to realize that there is really no higher power keeping track of how many people you forward an e-mail to? If they did, could they really be called a "higher power"?
Of particular interest are the ones that give multiple levels of payoff for how many people you forward to; 1-5 = wish granted in 2 months, 6-10 = wish granted in 2 weeks, 11-20 = wish granted in 2 hours!!! The superfluous exclamation marks are just more proof that the e-mail is TRUE!!! Do these people visualize some e-mail fairy, with their grand checklist firmly in hand, waiting for that 15th name to go into your To: field? "Hooray! Now Billy-Ray can have his wish for a 35¢ raise this week rather than in 2 months!"
On the other hand, if Billy-Ray just delete's the e-mail, this (or these?, I haven't been able to determine) vengeful entity is so pissed off that he/she inflicts poor Billy-Ray with bad luck for a year. Why is it that the circulation, or lack thereof, of some silly Irish friendship poem, barely a Limerick, can generate such a disparity in fortune?
These people also fall into that category of "hoping/wishing/fearing this is true". It's no different than the old-school paper-mail chain letters that we got in the 70's and 80's. The only difference is that back then, we didn't have Snopes.com. For the last few years I've taken the time to research every one of these "too shocking to be true" e-mails, and reply-to-all with the Snopes answer. I think that everyone should do the same. Maybe, in time, we can end this sad perpetual chain of letters that prey on the simple minded.
I used to reply-to-all to these e-mails, so everybody that got it along with me will see what I wished for. And I would always wish for the same thing: I wished to be god. That's right, if these e-mail wish givers are going to hand out wishes, then they are only handing out their own demise! I shall usurp them and remove their wish granting ability, thereby eliminating such a threat to my own sovereignty. Then comes the "fire and brimstone" stuff. You see, I'm a vengeful god, and I fully plan on subjugating you all to do my will. Have you seen the Lord Of The Rings movies? Remember Frodo's vision of Middle Earth if Sauron get's his ring back? Yeah, that's what I picture for my reign. So do yourself a favor and don't e-mail me anything that I can use to obtain easy wishes.
Thinking of these people makes me sad.
Well it isn't. This is another case of somebody sending on feces-mail because they WANT it to be true. Snopes cleared up the situation for me in under 3 minutes.
The guy that sent this to me is a conspiracy theorist. He's not the extreme case like you sometimes meet, maybe just a 8.5 on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being "hiding your head in the ground", 5 being a normal person, and 10 being the kind of guy that wears a tin-foil cap to keep the government from reading his thoughts). This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that he brings up from time to time as an indication that we are right on the cusp of a Orwellian style "1984" government. He likens it to the "how to boil a frog" metaphor, where you start with the frog in tepid water and slowly turn the heat up, rather than just dumping Kermit into boiling water. I think you can make the correlation to the topic of government and rights infringement.
Bear in mind that this isn't a dumb guy, he is well aware of Snopes, and he should know better than to forward a mass e-mail without fact checking it! Especially to me, I'm his #1 moderator.
Thankfully, the number of "forward this to 10 people and get a wish/have good luck for a year" crap has distinctly diminished over the last few years. I don't know if I could handle much more of that. Who really thinks that this works? What religion do they subscribe to that allows for such nonsense? And if such a religion exists, how do I get a membership list? Those are the kind of idiots that will buy ANYTHING! I could probably sell their e-mail address' to spammers for $5 per person. Honestly, how much common sense does it take to realize that there is really no higher power keeping track of how many people you forward an e-mail to? If they did, could they really be called a "higher power"?
Of particular interest are the ones that give multiple levels of payoff for how many people you forward to; 1-5 = wish granted in 2 months, 6-10 = wish granted in 2 weeks, 11-20 = wish granted in 2 hours!!! The superfluous exclamation marks are just more proof that the e-mail is TRUE!!! Do these people visualize some e-mail fairy, with their grand checklist firmly in hand, waiting for that 15th name to go into your To: field? "Hooray! Now Billy-Ray can have his wish for a 35¢ raise this week rather than in 2 months!"
On the other hand, if Billy-Ray just delete's the e-mail, this (or these?, I haven't been able to determine) vengeful entity is so pissed off that he/she inflicts poor Billy-Ray with bad luck for a year. Why is it that the circulation, or lack thereof, of some silly Irish friendship poem, barely a Limerick, can generate such a disparity in fortune?
These people also fall into that category of "hoping/wishing/fearing this is true". It's no different than the old-school paper-mail chain letters that we got in the 70's and 80's. The only difference is that back then, we didn't have Snopes.com. For the last few years I've taken the time to research every one of these "too shocking to be true" e-mails, and reply-to-all with the Snopes answer. I think that everyone should do the same. Maybe, in time, we can end this sad perpetual chain of letters that prey on the simple minded.
I used to reply-to-all to these e-mails, so everybody that got it along with me will see what I wished for. And I would always wish for the same thing: I wished to be god. That's right, if these e-mail wish givers are going to hand out wishes, then they are only handing out their own demise! I shall usurp them and remove their wish granting ability, thereby eliminating such a threat to my own sovereignty. Then comes the "fire and brimstone" stuff. You see, I'm a vengeful god, and I fully plan on subjugating you all to do my will. Have you seen the Lord Of The Rings movies? Remember Frodo's vision of Middle Earth if Sauron get's his ring back? Yeah, that's what I picture for my reign. So do yourself a favor and don't e-mail me anything that I can use to obtain easy wishes.
Thinking of these people makes me sad.
2005-10-06
I'm changing employers
I'm taking a job offer from one of my current customers. Today I found out that NACT is paying me my PTO (Flex time) and vacation time. Since I have about 188+ hours (combined), my last paycheck that I get on the 21st will be about 5.5 times what my normal paycheck is.
I think it may be time to buy a yacht.
I think it may be time to buy a yacht.
2005-09-22
Watch what you say at work
Two of my co-workers go together to the gym on their lunch break. Today they worked on their glutes. When they got back to work, one of them commented over the cubicle walls that his "butt was sore". I instantly told them "I don't want to hear about what you do on your lunches together".
We all laughed.
We all laughed.
2005-09-14
Instant messenger is a tool of Satan
You know what I'm sick of? I'm sick of those instant messenger pop-up windows that shows who just signed on. No, I don't have an issue with it on my side, I disable that little punk first thing after I install or update my IM client. What I have a problem with is the pop-up on everyone else's screen.
You see, I don't use IM to keep up with my friends and family, I use IM almost exclusively at work. So as soon as I sign on, people (customers) around the world get a pop-up saying "Adam just signed on". And you know what, that pop-up must be irresistible, like a monkey trained to hit a button in order to get a banana, my customers all think that it's a really good idea to pester Adam with their early morning requests (I'm NOT a morning person, in fact I fantasize about drugging morning people with valium in order to make the whole world sleep in like me).
And they must think that they are crafty and subtle when their first line is "Hey buddy, how ya doin'?" Like they really give 2 cents about how I'm doing. That's just a preface to them asking for some favor that's always "real quick", when they should call our receptionist and put in a proper trouble ticket (I work in Customer Service).
This wouldn't even be a problem if it was just one customer, I'd just block them and never worry about it. But it's almost all of them.
Now I'm not saying that they can't IM me and ask a quick question. That's no my intention at all. What I want to stop is the 2-10 IM's I get the instant I sign in. It's frustrating to have that much to do in the first few minutes of being at work. Why can't these people give me 5 minutes to get the rest of my software loaded and ready to go? Is this their only chance to reach me? Do they forget about me when that pop-up window goes away? If they are that feeble, maybe I should add them to my block list anyways.
This morning it was a customer in Africa. I love these guys, they took very good care of me when I was out there training them, but it still gets on my nerves
So in review: Do NOT IM co-workers, customers, and vendors so shortly after they sign on. This should be added to some official "netiquette" rule. It's not big deal to do this to friends, unless you are asking them a work related question. In that case shame on you for abusing your friendship.
You see, I don't use IM to keep up with my friends and family, I use IM almost exclusively at work. So as soon as I sign on, people (customers) around the world get a pop-up saying "Adam just signed on". And you know what, that pop-up must be irresistible, like a monkey trained to hit a button in order to get a banana, my customers all think that it's a really good idea to pester Adam with their early morning requests (I'm NOT a morning person, in fact I fantasize about drugging morning people with valium in order to make the whole world sleep in like me).
And they must think that they are crafty and subtle when their first line is "Hey buddy, how ya doin'?" Like they really give 2 cents about how I'm doing. That's just a preface to them asking for some favor that's always "real quick", when they should call our receptionist and put in a proper trouble ticket (I work in Customer Service).
This wouldn't even be a problem if it was just one customer, I'd just block them and never worry about it. But it's almost all of them.
Now I'm not saying that they can't IM me and ask a quick question. That's no my intention at all. What I want to stop is the 2-10 IM's I get the instant I sign in. It's frustrating to have that much to do in the first few minutes of being at work. Why can't these people give me 5 minutes to get the rest of my software loaded and ready to go? Is this their only chance to reach me? Do they forget about me when that pop-up window goes away? If they are that feeble, maybe I should add them to my block list anyways.
This morning it was a customer in Africa. I love these guys, they took very good care of me when I was out there training them, but it still gets on my nerves
So in review: Do NOT IM co-workers, customers, and vendors so shortly after they sign on. This should be added to some official "netiquette" rule. It's not big deal to do this to friends, unless you are asking them a work related question. In that case shame on you for abusing your friendship.
2005-09-05
More New Orleans info
Here's a blog posted by a man who's staying behind in New Orleans to help out. Some of the posts on his blog are not for the faint of heart. The Interdictor.
2005-09-02
My nephew used to live in New Orleans
I just got off the phone with my nephew, who left New Orleans on Wednesday. He has a lot of insight that you won't find in the media.
The first point that should be made is that there's more than just one side of this story. The people of New Orleans fall into a few different categories:
1. People who left before the storm hit. Some feared the worst, some feared the unknown.
2. People who would have left, but couldn't for whatever reason. Many people could not afford to leave, others were too ill, and couldn't move. And there could be a dozen other valid reasons.
3. People who have been through several hurricanes and underestimated the scale of this one. I have a hard time criticizing these people. In the past they have endured similar storms, and they didn't think this would be much different. When you bear in mind that areas have endured category 5's (such as hurricane Andrew) with less trouble, it would seem that a cat 4 would be bearable.
4. People who decided to stay with the intent of taking advantage of the situation and looting. These people deserve some serious punishment, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they deserve to die. Some of the armed bandits you see are these folks.
Point #2 really makes me angry at certain reporters who want to place blame for this tragedy on those who remained in the city. How arrogant you have be to make those claims! That's your small minded way of saying: "I've considered all possibilities and came to the conclusion that there's no valid reason to stay in the city". I really want to punish the people who think this way.
The situation in New Orleans is grim. The armed thug gangs that run parts of the city have become so powerful that the police cannot control them. The 80% of the city that is flooded has problems we may not consider at first. The first thing that happens when the streets flood is the sewers intermix with the flood waters, making the water that you see horribly smelly, and a serious health risk. Another problem comes from the broken levee's that let in seawater. It doesn't just let in the water, but in this case it has also let in bull sharks. Right now, these sharks are feeding on corpses of victims. The flooded streets have also seen an influx of a few Water Moccasins (Ancistrodon piscivorus or cottonmouth). These are one of the few snakes that really scare me. In the wild they are territorial and aggressive, and who knows how they will react to this new situation.
My nephew was holed up with his wife, his 1 year old son, and his wife's father in his father-in-law's apartment. The apartment building formed into a group dedicated to protecting each other. Eventually they housed a few police officers who showed up seeking refuge from the streets. One of these police officers spoke of a shootout he was part of that went very badly. I won't go into what happened, but this officer is happy to be alive after seeing his fellow police officers fall. He also mentioned that some police have been forced to resort to looting food because they have been cut off from supplies and support. Thankfully this building was in a gated community on high ground, part of the 20% that isn't under water right now. My nephew's apartment was not in the dry 20, and since he was on the bottom floor, everything they own is now underwater. They were able to take their car to a 4th floor parking garage located in the dry 20, but looting may take that from them as well.
When they decided to flee the city, the group had to stand as armed guards as they loaded up his father-in-law's Ford Expedition, and pray that the only people who saw them were unarmed or poorly armed. Any of the larger looting gangs would likely have the firepower to take the SUV and would willingly kill for something this valuable. The group had heard of the stories of people trying to leave the city, and knew that a common car-jacking tactic was to stand in front of a fleeing car and when it stops, shoot the driver and passengers if they resist. With this in mind, they resolved to run over anyone who stood intentionally in their way. To discourage this, they flew through the streets at ridiculous speeds, and thankfully, didn't have to resort to this extreme. When they heard on Saturday that the storm was going to hit New Orleans, they filled the gas tank (at pre-storm prices), and that allowed them to get far from the city before needing to refuel. When they got to (I've forgotten where they refueled), there was only 1 gas station that still had fuel. Thankfully, they weren't gouging prices in this emergency, but there was still a 2 hour line for gasoline.
Now my nephew and his family are staying in a Miami suburb with a friend. Cell phone coverage is spotty, as the entire gulf coast area is under a heavy telecomm load. Text messages don't deliver every time, and when they do, they don't always show who sent the message. I'm just happy that it's over for the ones I love, and I continue to pray for those still in that hell.
The first point that should be made is that there's more than just one side of this story. The people of New Orleans fall into a few different categories:
1. People who left before the storm hit. Some feared the worst, some feared the unknown.
2. People who would have left, but couldn't for whatever reason. Many people could not afford to leave, others were too ill, and couldn't move. And there could be a dozen other valid reasons.
3. People who have been through several hurricanes and underestimated the scale of this one. I have a hard time criticizing these people. In the past they have endured similar storms, and they didn't think this would be much different. When you bear in mind that areas have endured category 5's (such as hurricane Andrew) with less trouble, it would seem that a cat 4 would be bearable.
4. People who decided to stay with the intent of taking advantage of the situation and looting. These people deserve some serious punishment, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they deserve to die. Some of the armed bandits you see are these folks.
Point #2 really makes me angry at certain reporters who want to place blame for this tragedy on those who remained in the city. How arrogant you have be to make those claims! That's your small minded way of saying: "I've considered all possibilities and came to the conclusion that there's no valid reason to stay in the city". I really want to punish the people who think this way.
The situation in New Orleans is grim. The armed thug gangs that run parts of the city have become so powerful that the police cannot control them. The 80% of the city that is flooded has problems we may not consider at first. The first thing that happens when the streets flood is the sewers intermix with the flood waters, making the water that you see horribly smelly, and a serious health risk. Another problem comes from the broken levee's that let in seawater. It doesn't just let in the water, but in this case it has also let in bull sharks. Right now, these sharks are feeding on corpses of victims. The flooded streets have also seen an influx of a few Water Moccasins (Ancistrodon piscivorus or cottonmouth). These are one of the few snakes that really scare me. In the wild they are territorial and aggressive, and who knows how they will react to this new situation.
My nephew was holed up with his wife, his 1 year old son, and his wife's father in his father-in-law's apartment. The apartment building formed into a group dedicated to protecting each other. Eventually they housed a few police officers who showed up seeking refuge from the streets. One of these police officers spoke of a shootout he was part of that went very badly. I won't go into what happened, but this officer is happy to be alive after seeing his fellow police officers fall. He also mentioned that some police have been forced to resort to looting food because they have been cut off from supplies and support. Thankfully this building was in a gated community on high ground, part of the 20% that isn't under water right now. My nephew's apartment was not in the dry 20, and since he was on the bottom floor, everything they own is now underwater. They were able to take their car to a 4th floor parking garage located in the dry 20, but looting may take that from them as well.
When they decided to flee the city, the group had to stand as armed guards as they loaded up his father-in-law's Ford Expedition, and pray that the only people who saw them were unarmed or poorly armed. Any of the larger looting gangs would likely have the firepower to take the SUV and would willingly kill for something this valuable. The group had heard of the stories of people trying to leave the city, and knew that a common car-jacking tactic was to stand in front of a fleeing car and when it stops, shoot the driver and passengers if they resist. With this in mind, they resolved to run over anyone who stood intentionally in their way. To discourage this, they flew through the streets at ridiculous speeds, and thankfully, didn't have to resort to this extreme. When they heard on Saturday that the storm was going to hit New Orleans, they filled the gas tank (at pre-storm prices), and that allowed them to get far from the city before needing to refuel. When they got to (I've forgotten where they refueled), there was only 1 gas station that still had fuel. Thankfully, they weren't gouging prices in this emergency, but there was still a 2 hour line for gasoline.
Now my nephew and his family are staying in a Miami suburb with a friend. Cell phone coverage is spotty, as the entire gulf coast area is under a heavy telecomm load. Text messages don't deliver every time, and when they do, they don't always show who sent the message. I'm just happy that it's over for the ones I love, and I continue to pray for those still in that hell.
2005-08-26
Here be my name...
My pirate name is:
Iron Sam Rackham
A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.
More pirate fun can be found here.
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