Project Insomnia

Project Insomnia is many things, but in this context it is simply a "braindump" of whatever I happen to be thinking/reading/watching/doing at the moment. Parental guidance suggested.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Old New Thing : The great thing about priorities is that you can always go one higher

Raymond Chen writes: The great thing about priorities is that you can always go one higher:
Over the past few years, I've seen a shift in the labelling of priorities in planning documents. A new priority has been introduced: Priority Zero. Nobody has explained to me what Priority 0 means, but I assume somebody invented it to emphasize that the feature is even more critical than priority 1. Mind you, I'm not sure what could be more important to a project than 'If we don't do this, we're all fired.' Maybe 'If we don't do this, the earth will explode.'

As you might expect, priority inflation has a trickle-down effect. People whose features had been assigned priority 1 said, 'Hey, how come my feature isn't priority 0? It's just as critical as that other guy's feature.' Soon, everything that was priority 1 got reclassified as priority 0. Nature abhors a vacuum, so all the priority 2 items got reclassified as priority 1, and the priority 3 items got reclassified as priority 2.

This was common towards the end of my days at ISS. We were bombarded with "level zero" issues that had to be fixed now, and there was plainly nothing more important. Except the ever-growing list of other "level zero" issues. Luckily here at Nokia we have a pretty clear P1-P3 system that doesn't show any signs of inflation.
|| Andrew, 2:21 PM || || link ||

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

It'll be a busy first couple of days

From truthout: Obama Positioned to Quickly Reverse Bush Actions:
Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team.

A team of four dozen advisers, working for months in virtual solitude, set out to identify regulatory and policy changes Obama could implement soon after his inauguration. The team is now consulting with liberal advocacy groups, Capitol Hill staffers and potential agency chiefs to prioritize those they regard as the most onerous or ideologically offensive, said a top transition official who was not permitted to speak on the record about the inner workings of the transition.

Change we can believe in, indeed. Like I said on Election Night, we all did this. Mission Accomplished.
|| Andrew, 12:32 PM || || link ||

Welcome home, George

Santa Rosa cat, missing 13 years, is back home:
More than 13 years after he went missing from his Santa Rosa home, George the cat is back. 'I was blown away,' Frank Walburg said of the unexpected return of his missing feline. 'Such a big chunk of time has passed.'

George was reunited with Walburg and his wife, Melinda Merman, both dedicated cat companions, last Wednesday after Sonoma County Animal Care and Control officers rescued him from a mobile home park - just 3 miles from their home - at the request of the manager. Authorities scanned the kitty and found an implanted microchip that was encoded with identifying information that they were able to trace back to the couple.

Walburg and Merman arrived at the shelter within 20 minutes after they got the call and saw a cat that was about half the weight of George 13 years ago. But the gray and chestnut coat and the black nose were the same, and so was the distinctive jowl.
All of our cats are chipped and this is why, though hopefully we wouldn't have to wait thirteen years to get them back.
|| Andrew, 11:44 AM || || link ||

El Pollo H8ers

Not all El Pollo Loco locations are franchised, and of the ones that are, not all are owned by a Prop 8 supporter, but this blog lists those which are:
The franchise owner of the following El Pollo Locos in California donated money in support of Proposition 8. As one of my stand-by restaurants for any occasion, I will be boycotting the following locations owned by WKS Restaurant Corporation, owned by Roland Spongberg.

Also -- If anyone out there knows someone at either CSULA or CSULB, there are Pollo Locos on those campuses owned by WKS. The campus communities should be made aware.
|| Andrew, 10:40 AM || || link ||

Friday, November 07, 2008

Seriously. Really loud!

|| Andrew, 9:16 PM || || link ||

The annoying VERY LOUD people at the next table

|| Andrew, 9:14 PM || || link ||

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Twitsubstantiations

10:37 No line, in and out. "Election Protection" outside watching for trouble. Yes to Hope, No on H8! #

11:49 The Internets are very slow today. Wonder why? #

16:03 Noted inverse correlation between MPG & Prop 8 support. Low MPG = Yes, High MPG = No. SUVs = Yes, Prius = No. Surprise? #

16:17 Ann Curry's heels are crazy! #

17:12 I voted Yes to hope and No to H8. #

18:09 Attn Chuck Todd: "Silicone Valley" is something entirely different than what you think it is. #

20:01 I am so so so very happy. #

20:14 We all did this. Congratulations. #

20:52 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED #

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|| Andrew, 11:27 PM || || link ||

Live Election Results

I'll be on MSNBC.com throughout the day and probably home by 4-ish for the first returns. What about you?

|| Andrew, 9:41 AM || || link ||

Monday, November 03, 2008

Twitsubstantiations

15:15 Prop 8 a-holes put AdSense on MY SITE. PISSED. #noon8 #

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|| Andrew, 11:20 PM || || link ||

Oh no you don't. Not here, not now, not ever.

I am PISSED. The Yes-on-8 campaign spent the last of their money on a huge Google AdSense blitz targeting blogs and sites in California which have been opposed to their hateful bigoted homophobia. They put a Yes-on-8 ad on MY SITE.

Absolutely not. No way.

They can be blocked and it's not hard. I am glad I thought to check.
|| Andrew, 3:09 PM || || link ||

Justified or not, this is my concern

From Scott Adams: End of the Republic?
I wonder if today will be remembered as the last day of the Republic. If Obama gets elected, lots of McCain supporters will be displeased, but I would expect an orderly transition of power. That's one possibility.

The other possibility is that McCain is elected and there is widespread suspicion, founded or not, that the election was rigged. That, for all practical purposes, will be end of the Republic. Citizens will take to the streets, the lame duck administration will declare martial law, half the country will stop paying taxes, and we will begin the long slide toward a Mad Max economy.


Okay, slight hyperbole -- but maybe not that much. It's hard to get a good objective view here in Bluest-of-the-Blue California, but I have to think that no reasonable person really thinks McCain is likely to win. If he does, and there's any hint of Florida-2000 or Ohio-2004 style shenanigans, I would expect some massive civil unrest. And I might even take part in it.

We're laying in emergency supplies for us and the cats to last a week or so. Just in case.
|| Andrew, 10:21 AM || || link ||

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Twitsubstantiations

14:05 Trying a new place for lunch: Firehouse Grill & Brewery. Sports bar, many giant TVs. Good so far. #

21:53 Wondering what tomorrow's "surprise" will be and whether it can possibly be enough. #

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|| Andrew, 11:03 PM || || link ||

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Twitsubstantiations

17:52 It's raining HARD here now. #

17:53 Lightning & thunder! #

20:03 iChat won't stay connected tonight. Stupid eels. #

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|| Andrew, 11:03 PM || || link ||

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