I would abolish, repeal and otherwise dispose of the odious, hateful and discriminatory California Proposition 8. Vote No on Prop. 8 Thankfully, that process is well underway now, though not proceeding as quickly as one would like. I find the most interesting aspect of the court battle to be that the legally-defined defendants, the Attorney [...]

I would abolish, repeal and otherwise dispose of the odious, hateful and discriminatory California Proposition 8.

Vote No on Prop. 8

Thankfully, that process is well underway now, though not proceeding as quickly as one would like. I find the most interesting aspect of the court battle to be that the legally-defined defendants, the Attorney General and Governor of California, have declined to defend the law, and the "intervenors" (groups which wrote, promoted and are now third-party defenders) may not be able to demonstrate standing to appeal Judge Walker's ruling that the law is by nature a gross violation of the United States Constitution.



So the people who could defend it aren't, and the people who are defending it don't have any (legal, rational, secular) reason for doing so. Sounds like an easy dismissal to me, and the 9th doesn't even have to rule on the merits.

No, not Kitchen Stadium. Today, August 22, is the five-year anniversary of the day I started at Avvenu in 2005. At the time it was a tiny, 25-employee Internet media-sharing startup in Palo Alto. In December 2007, we were acquired by Nokia and our Nokia start dates were backdated to match our Avvenu start dates. [...]

No, not Kitchen Stadium.

Today, August 22, is the five-year anniversary of the day I started at Avvenu in 2005. At the time it was a tiny, 25-employee Internet media-sharing startup in Palo Alto. In December 2007, we were acquired by Nokia and our Nokia start dates were backdated to match our Avvenu start dates. So Nokia just reminded me that I’ve been working for them for five years.

I don’t like working for large companies. I was definitely going to stay with Nokia for two years, to fully vest my retention bonus. That was December 2009, and nine months later I’m still there. The huge multinational corporate atmosphere is stifling. It’s soul-deadening. And that probably explains my lack of ambition or energy to start searching for a new job, preferably at a tiny Internet startup.

This anniversary, I’ve now resolved, is going to be the kick in the pants that I need to get my resume in order and get the job search going.

Sure, it sounds silly, but a few of my favorite weekday lunch places on University Ave don’t offer WiFi (free or otherwise) and aren’t near enough to anywhere that does to pick up the signal. They’re almost close enough; my MacBook Pro and my Palm Pre can “see” the networks and try to connect, but [...]

Sure, it sounds silly, but a few of my favorite weekday lunch places on University Ave don’t offer WiFi (free or otherwise) and aren’t near enough to anywhere that does to pick up the signal. They’re almost close enough; my MacBook Pro and my Palm Pre can “see” the networks and try to connect, but not achieve or maintain a connection. It seems that this situation is the perfect one for one of these devices. I’ve found a few that look promising but I’m having some trouble choosing one. Feel like helping?

Hawking HWUN3 Hi-Gain USB Wireless-N Adapter with Upgradeable Antennas for Mac & PC (White) – $42.24

1000mW 1W 802.11g/n High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter – Dongle – $23.95

1000mW 1W 802.11g/n High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-Rang WiFi Network Adapter – Dongle With Original Alfa 5dBi and 9dBi Rubber Antenna – $24.99

MacWizards Antenna & Booster for MacBook/PowerBook – $79.99

There’s quite a price difference between the least and most expensive, but the MacWizards item looks to be much smaller and sleeker. They all seem to have fairly similar specifications.

There’s also the rather different BearExtender n3 – $44.97

The BearExtender is an external device connected by a USB cable, not a plug-in antenna as are the others. It seems a bit too clunky, but the performance might be better since it can be moved around more freely.

What do you think?

Someone from the company that makes BearExtender found this blog post and contacted me, offering free shipping and a 30-day review period to try out their product. Not a freebie for review, just an invitation to buy one. I figured with free shipping and the 30-day return privilege I couldn’t really go wrong, so I jumped at it.

The BearExtender is not nearly as large as it appears in the promotional pictures. It’s actually a flat (maybe 1/2″ thick) square (around 2″/side) and very light, with a clip on the back to stick on to the Mac’s open lid. Comes with one short and one long USB cable, an antenna, and a USB drive which includes a getting started guide and the driver software. The software is really the only disappointment; it’s ugly and the usability is rotten. However, it does work.

My baseline use case is sitting at a cafe in downtown Palo Alto across the street from a Starbucks. With the Mac’s built-in WiFi, I can intermittently see the “attwifi” network and get a very weak connection that drops after a minute or two; essentially useless. With the BearExtender, I get a strong signal from the “attwifi” network, can immediately connect, and the connection stays up without dropping.

It connects without issue to my AirPort Extreme N at home, and also displays quite a few more networks around my home than the built-in WiFi. I’d say it’s well worth the money, which after all is only as much as dinner for two at a reasonably nice place.

Again, to be clear, I’m reviewing this on my own accord; I paid full price (less free shipping) for the unit and they didn’t ask me to write or do anything.

Limericks count as “light verse”, right? moss park ride ~ detritus The woman who lives one door down: her kids make me grumble and frown. They trash all our plants, drop trash for the ants, and leave toys strewn about on the ground. The other-side neighbor’s no better: (I’m thinking of writing a letter) With [...]

Limericks count as “light verse”, right?

moss park ride ~ detritus

The woman who lives one door down:

her kids make me grumble and frown.

They trash all our plants,

drop trash for the ants,

and leave toys strewn about on the ground.



The other-side neighbor’s no better:

(I’m thinking of writing a letter)

With smoke alarms blaring,

she sits there uncaring;

a hearing aid someone should get her.

I have no patience for the stupid. None at all. I'm not talking about the developmentally disabled, or those who are uninformed through no fault of their own. I'm talking about deliberately ignorant, small-minded people who can't connect the opinions they've been spoon-fed with the consequences in the real world, and who don't bother to [...]

I have no patience for the stupid. None at all.

I'm not talking about the developmentally disabled, or those who are uninformed through no fault of their own. I'm talking about deliberately ignorant, small-minded people who can't connect the opinions they've been spoon-fed with the consequences in the real world, and who don't bother to look around to see if there might possibly be another valid perspective.



Note that I'm not singling out any particular political party or affiliation; there are idiots all over the spectrum, and I have no time or interest in dealing with any of them.



People who can't learn how to properly merge onto the freeway also annoy the hell out of me, but usually engender a response somewhat stronger than an eyeroll.