Peeve!

I use Eudora as my email client and I use Norton AV as my anti-virus software. Norton has an option to check incoming emails for virsuses, but it's error-prone; it will often screw up its own settings and lose track of the login name and password it needs to actually go get my email. That's sub-optimal. So, I disable the incoming email check. But... when Eudora downloads an email with a virus attached, Norton's "auto-protect" feature sees that something (Eudora) is trying to write a file containing a virus and it deletes the file immediately (often before the attachment has finished downloading). And then, because it's so very proud of its accomplishment, it throws up a big yellow message box for me to click. But, at the same time, Eudora panics, because it can't download the attachment like it wants to, so it beeps, and tries to download that attachment again; Norton sees that a file with a virus is being written, deletes the file, puts up a message box, Eudora panics, and so on.

During periods of high virus activity, like the past few weeks, where 1 of every 5 messages is a virus, I have to disable the Norton auto-protect feature entirely in order to get my email. Sub-optimal.

Is McAffee better than this ??

Oh, the places I've been

States I've visited:

This summer I think I'll be able to add Colorado to the list.

Interestingly (to me), I've hit every state on both coasts (and if I wanted to count layovers in airports, I could add Texas, to nearly complete the Gulf Coast, too). In fact only 1/6^th (4) of the states I've been to have no ocean coastline - though three of those have Great Lakes coastlines, which is nearly the same thing. Only little landlocked Vermont has no access to a significant body of water (yes, Lake Champlain is a pretty big lake, but it's no Lake Superior).

Make your own damn map, here.

Snarkout

I'd like to recommend that everyone who is interested in the history of things, trivia and arcana take a look at snarkout.

For example, here it discusses how we got our current calendar; here it discusses how Valentines Day came about; here is a discussion of the continuing history of "Adventure" games (ie. Adventure, Zork and other text based puzzle games). All fascinating stuff, IMO.

Hey, how much you want for that hymen?

Plastic has a strange story about a student in the UK who wants to auction off her virginity:

Ms. Reid's inability to get a handle on her student debt directly led her to take the extreme measure of selling her virginity. Although she "qualifies for a Government loan of £3,000 a year," this, according to her, "is less than half what she needs to cover fees and other outgoings." Indeed, "to pay her tuition fees and living expenses," she "works three shifts a week as a waitress. She often does 12-hour shifts, which means sacrificing lectures to make £4.50 an hour." As she explains, "The way things are going, I'll leave university £15,000 in debt. That's why I am taking this drastic action."

And, by the way, she's a lesbian, and her girlfriend says "I won't be there in the room with her when it eventually happens but I will be very nearby."

Clever girl. I wonder if she could get a spot on the next "The Apprentice"...

Train train train

Sitting in a training class all week. Luckily, it's a C# / web programming class, so they had to leave IE on the machines. Sweet. So I can surf and learn, at the same time.

The war on carbs

defective yeti outlines the latest political battlefield: The War On Carbs:

"When I was Governor of Vermont, no one ate their pizza crust!" Dean boasted in a fiery speech given at a recent rally. "And when I become President, we're going to go after Big Bread! We're going to go after Big Potato! We're going to go after Big Sugar and Big Cracker and Big Muffin, yeeeeargh!'"

Buena vista, anti-social club

via Electrolite

US blocks Cuban Grammy nominees:

US authorities have refused to let five Cuban Grammy Awards nominees travel to Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles.

Musicians up for best tropical Latin album award - including veteran star Ibrahim Ferrer - have not got visas.

Ferrer, 77, told press in the capital Havana: "I am not a terrorist. I couldn't be one. I am a musician."

The Buena Vista Social Club album, the only Latin music I own, is one of my all-time favorite records. It's a collection of songs from legendary (pre-Castro) Cuban musicians that American musician Ry Cooder recorded in 1997. Footage of the recording sessions and Cooder's trip in making the record were used in the wonderful film documentary of the same name.

The album is terrific stuff. Even in their 60's, 70's and 80's, these guys recorded songs with tremendous energy and soul. I don't understand any of the lyrics, but the energy behind the words is unmistakable. And, even though listening to it sometimes makes me feel like I'm in a Mexican restaurant (such is the extent of my exposure to Latin music), I find myself wanting more - but not knowing where to begin.

Anyway, these old musicians can't come here because there's a ridicuolous embargo against their country, Cuba, a country that's no more communist than one of our largest trading partners, China, and no more repressive than China, Saudi Arabia or any other countries that we're more than happy to trade with.

How petty.