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Friday, December 21, 2007

Tracking Santa

Well the time is upon us. All the presents I was responsible for are under the tree and hopefully Santa will be fortifying those with more in a couple of nights. My folks flew in courtesy of American Airline miles. Have I mention how much I hate american airlines? I hate them so much that I used up all my miles to flight my kid in a few weeks ago just so I wouldn't have to feel guilty about loosing them, because I will never fly American Airlines ever again.

Back to Xmas, My first Xmas in Jacksonville has been off to a great start, except for a few days at the beginning of this week is been nothing but 70 and 80 degree weather and I don't miss shoveling the snow at all. I'm very happy is almost here, after all I get four or five days off and we had a great Xmas party at work today to get the weekend started, not to mention the very generous gift ($$$) we all receive from the Boss man.

The rest of the family is driving in and the vehicles are packed. The most distant one is driving a good 15 hours, but will be worth their while.

Santa is the last to arrive and we will be tracking his arrival via Norad. The NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) program has been around for a long time, since 1955 to be exact! And while NORAD has the "history" and excellent technology to track Santa, NORAD cannot expend government funds on the program. Besides the short time a NTS Project Officer spends "managing" the program, NORAD spends only the minimal amount of funds on NTS. The NTS program is funded through generous contributions, this year one of the biggest contributors is Google.


The bottom line is that Xmas is the most wonderful time of the year and I hope you enjoy it with many love ones surrounding you. Don't forget to make your New Year resolutions as 2008 is only a few days away.

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posted by Death is Forever at 9:31 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Biggest Loser: Bill and Jim Take It

What have you done today to make yourself feel proud? This is the question the Biggest Looser Theme song asks of every viewer.

I have been watching the show since the first season and each and every single time I am amazed how well this now athletes perform. I'm not one for reality TV, but this show is more than real to me. I have struggle with the teetering of the scale my entire life.

This show is truly inspiring and should become the number one watched show in America as we, as a nation, are suffering the highest rate of obesity in the world.

This season I been rooting for Bill and Jim since day one. I thought they had the most integrity and of course, as twins, had each other to push each other to loose the most weight.

The proof is on today's finale where Bill took the prize money of 250 thousand dollars and Jim taking home the 100 thousand dollar at home prize.

This season most were rooting for a girl to win and it appeared to be heading that way until the bitter end where Bill took Julie out by a close 5% of body weight.

Here are their numbers:
Bill - 49.1%
Julie - 44.5%
Hollie - 41.18%
Isabeau - 37.92%

The bottom line is that if you set your mind to anything, you can accomplish it. Whether is loosing weight, changing careers, or becoming a millionaire, we all have the power to do it. With a little dedication and motivation we can achieve all of our goals and dreams.

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posted by Death is Forever at 10:58 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Fingerprint Readers

I recently read an article which detailed the way companies are further making our society lazier. This one particular article focus on Fingerprint Readers and how Shell Gas station is rolling them out at the pump. The idea here is convenience, but my problem with the technology is that it is designed to collect and remember your print for future purchases. How are they securing their database. It wasn't so long ago when I saw an interview with an executive from the TJX Companies where they showed the company utilizing old security wireless technology of the like of WEP. This technology is easily hackable and as such it got hacked allowing thousand of records and personal data to be acquired and sold on the black market.

fingerprint liftingMy concern is that there are already ways to fake fingerprints. It's call fingerprint lifting, use by cops everywhere and with the aid of Fingerprint Lifting Tape, fingerprints can easily be duped.

It is rather interesting that a big company like Shell decided to head into the biometrics direction, but this is no difference than the convenience provided by Mobil Speedpass.

Is your personal data and security important? There is a company who offers a $1,000,000 Service Guarantee, that they will protect your identity against theft and will help you all the way if you loose your wallet or any important document, all for a cheap $10 a month.

There is also another problem with fingerprinting, I once had a laptop which had a biometrics reader and it took four or five tries before it actually recognized my fingerprint. Fingerprint readers are no where near as accurate as bar code readers so I think they will end up annoying more customers than making the process easier.

The bottom line is that there are just too many holes in the technology. I pump gas weekly at Shell, not because is my favorite station or because of the convenience in payment, but because is conveniently located to my home and Daily's, their convenience store co-located with the gas station, provides large drinks at very reasonable prices. Not to mention, they have those lice crushed ice cubes we all have come to love.

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posted by Death is Forever at 9:44 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, December 14, 2007

Tis the season for gift giving: The Golden Globe

With Christmas around the corner, and I'm yet to buy or send a single present, it seems that the only thing to do is to postpone the holiday shopping some more and focus on more important things, like the Golden Globes Awards.

This year is particularly exciting for me as my favorite TV shows and actors are finally nominated. These include Californication, Pushing Daisies, and 30 Rock. I'm really pushing for Californication, I thought for sure the show would be cancelled mid season being that is on a premium channel, includes more than typical nudity and a lot of off color and adult humor. Not to mentioned its recent publicity with the Chilli Peppers swuing for name rights. The show is brilliant and with actors like David Duchovny, its no wonder that the show received two Golden Globe® nominations! Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical. For more on Californication, visit the official show site.

I do wish other shows like Dirty Sexy Money and How I met your mother would receive the well deserve recognition, but I can always get what I want.

Which brings me back to my Xmas wants, I think I want my two front teeth, just kidding. I just finished purchasing new golf clubs. I haven't had a chance to try them out, and looks like I will have to wait another week as it will be raining this weekend. But I take a little bit of water over the twelve inches of snow the Northeast is receiving between yesterday and today. Pheww, I'm glad I recently moved to Florida.

The bottom line is that although xmas is coming and we should all rejoice for this wonderful holiday where people feel the need to buy stuff for each other, I'm glad the entertainment industry finds the need to also give out awards to the already rich and famous, but recognition is due to all whether they are rich, talented, or otherwise. If you know me, you already know how I feel about awards, if you don't, then it's really simple, like everything else in life awards are nothing but a scam.

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posted by Death is Forever at 10:55 AM 0 Comments Links to this post