I have been reading through the Narnia books.  I am now on "The Dawn Treader" which is pretty good.  To my amazement, I came across the phrase "do the needful."  I immediately had flashbacks from a project I had worked on last year in which two guys constantly used that phrase.  I have never heard of anyone using that phrase before...nor did anyone on my team.  With a little Google Foo, I found out it is a little more wide-spread.  This guy goes into a long dissertation and analysis about the saying.  He thought this was just common among people who use English as a second language.  My theory is that it is a British English thing because of the use by C.S. Lewis.  And specifically many people from India learn British English vs. American English.

Regardless, still begs the question:  where is the noun?

Here's more info about Ellison Onizuka of the Challenger.  This is taken from my fraternity's "Wall of Fame"

Today marks the 20'th anniversary of the Challenger explosion.  I was home sick that day and remember watching it live on TV.  I was in the 6th grade.  I imagine this was the first national tragedy that I remember.  I remember flipping through the channels and nothing was on except soap operas and this was in the days of 12 channels.  So I decided to watch the launch.  I recall that these were very frequent and routine.  I remember that these became some anti-dramatic that many stations stop covering the launches.

 

Later in life, I went to college to become an engineer and joined my fraternity.  As a freshman, I remember learning our history and learned this:

 

Ellison Onizuka colo69 flew on Discovery as a mission specialist in January 1985 and lost his life in the Challenger accident in January 1986. The United States Air Force's Onizuka Air Station was located in Sunnyvale, CA. (The station is now closed). An episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation mentions a (fictional) shuttlecraft named after Brother Onizuka.

 

Pasted from <http://www.triangle.org/about/notable/index.cfm>

Small world.

Last night, I had a wonderful time attending my third Father-Daughter dance.  It is always very special time.  It was held at the school that my daughter attended pre-school last year.  Her current school does not have one.  I think my wife will organize one next year.

 

Interestingly enough, it was renamed from "Father-Daughter Dance" to the "Sweet Heart Dance"…an obvious turn towards to politically correctness.  However, I didn't see any Mother-Son couples.

 

This year, they added some balloon hung from the rafters of the gym that were to be set free during the last dance.  However, a malfunction (broken strings) reduced the dramatic effect.  They had to get some ladders out and swing at them with a broom or something in order to set them free.  I immediately thought of the "balloon malfunction" during the Democratic Convention:

 

Don Fischer, DNC Convention Manager:

"Go balloons, go balloons! Go balloons! I don't see anything happening. Go balloons! Go balloons! Go balloons! Standby confetti. Keep coming, balloons. More balloons. Bring it- balloons, balloons, balloons! We want balloons, tons of them. Bring them down. Let them all come. No confetti. No confetti yet. No confetti. All right, go balloons, go balloons. We need more balloons. All balloons! All balloons! Keep going! Come on, guys, lets move it. J*sus! We need more balloons. I want all balloons to go, g*dd*mmit. Go confetti. Go confetti. More confetti. I want more balloons. What's happening to the balloons? We need more balloons. We need all of them coming down. Go balloons- balloons? What's happening balloons? There's not enough coming down! All balloons, what the hell! There's nothing falling! What the f*** are you guys doing up there? We want more balloons coming down, more balloons. More balloons. More balloons."

Yesterday, I got my 1098 for my mortgage and decided to do my taxes.  I typically do them early…mainly, because I typically get a refund.  My taxes are very simple and easy to do. 

 

The first year that I did my taxes, I did them manually.  It wasn't that bad but I wouldn't do them that way every again.  Ever other year, I have always used TurboTax.  Each year, the software got incrementally better. 

 

This year, I used H&R's TaxCut.  The day after Thanksgiving, Staples ran a special where if you purchased TaxCut + State for $30, you got Microsoft Money 2006 Deluxe for free and also a free shredder.  I couldn't pass up this deal so I gave TaxCut a chance.  I figured it doesn't really matter and all of these packages are about the same and after I used it once I would never use it again.

 

I soon found out how immature the product it was.  I also found it confusing the message that H&R was sending.  It seems like they were always encouraging you to complete your taxes using the application and then bring them into one of their regional offices.  I guess I am using the application so that I can just get them done.  If I wanted someone to do them for me, I would bother with the program.

 

 

Also, I was constantly getting lost in the app.  Usually in a "next, next, finished" application, you can hit back and go back 1 step.  Actually, this one would take back to the previous section or somewhere else.  Also, they had "sub" screens that sometimes only available by hitting "begin" instead of "next" ….kinda unpredictable. 

 

It prompted me to update the program multiple times in the same session.  I found this irritating.  I did the update right away and it worked.  But then it said, I need to download a patch for Money 2006 separately.  Considered these were bundled, I found this disturbing.  Why couldn't this update automatically happen within Money or Taxcut.  It instructed me to go to the website.  I finally found the link by searching their FAQ's.

 

Something else peculiar was this warnings that it found on my taxes.  It didn't like my FICA and SS withholdings.  It said that they were too low and should be a specific % of your wages.  I did the math my self and my values were a penny below.

 

When I finished, I was very surprised that no save as PDF option was available.  I guess I took this for granted.  When it printed the returns, it would print directly to your printer instead of giving you the print dialog box.  In order for me to print to Acrobat, I had to change my default printer.  Finally, they give you the optional of printing supporting documentation.  The forms spanned pages and layout and page breaks were all messed up.

 

At least it's over and I am getting a refund.

 

My son's 3rd birthday was a few days ago.  My wife thought a train table would be a good gift.  She did a lot of research and found a one at Pottery Barn that she liked:

 

 

 

It was pretty expensive.  I can't remember exactly how much it was…I think it was around $250-$300 (plus shipping).

 

I looked around on the internet and found another design:

 

 

It was reasonably priced…but I thought it was the father's duty to build it. 

 

Below is my version.  It is very close the Pottery Barn version.  I spent about $100 in materials.  My wife bought the play mat that is on it in the picture for about $15.  The magic dimensions of all the train tables is 48" X 32".  The top is made out of MDF (Medium Density Fiber).  I highly recommend that for any table…it is very smooth and has high strength to thickness ratio.  I bought some 4" X 1" pine and nailed it around.  I added a little more height to this element.  My reason is simple:  containment.

 

 

For the legs, I just bought Parson legs from Lowe's and screwed them on. 

 

 

Very simple and sturdy.  It hard to see in the picture, but I did create the 2 drawers.  These are just a simple box of 12" X 1" pine with MDF for the bottom.  Add a few casters and it's already to go. 

 

Finally, I just stained it.  The whole project took about 4 hours to do.

 

Download: Train Table.one

I was pleasantly surprised to find in my email yesterday:

As part of the acquisition, we are announcing the discontinuation of the FolderShare subscription services. You will be receiving a refund for your subscription at a pro-rated amount. Changes will go into effect early November; FolderShare subscribers will be refunded the pro-rated subscription fee in the week of Nov 7th.

It seems others are pleased, as well.

My wife just got "published'' in this week's Everyday Cheapskate newsletter.

FREE MAGAZINE. I get an excellent magazine called Creative Ideas. It is free from Lowe's Home Improvement center. It has tons of ideas on how to conquer do-it-yourself projects to beautify your home. They also have a woodworking magazine that has plans to make furniture and storage pieces. Both are free; you just need to sign up on their Web site or you can pick them up at the store. -- Roxanne Y., via e-mail.

DIdn't realize this...but FolderShare is now free.  This comes about 2 or 3 weeks after I upgraded to ther Personal edition for $50/year.  But I am not bitter, because now I know I can get more friends and family using it for its convenience.

Here is the background on the acquisition.  Pasted from <https://www.foldershare.com/info/company/aboutUs.php?>

 

Microsoft Acquires FolderShare, a File-Synchronization Technology Provider

Deal aligns with Windows Live goal of connecting customers to the people and information that matter most to them.

REDMOND, Wash. - Nov 3, 2005 - Microsoft Corp. today announced it has acquired FolderShareTM, a leading service in the emerging space of file synchronization and remote access technology that helps customers access information across multiple devices. FolderShare customers will continue to be able to enjoy the service at http://www.foldershare.com. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Launched in 2002 and owned and operated by Austin, Texas-based ByteTaxi Inc., the award-winning FolderShare service saves customers the hassle of sending large files via e-mail, burning them to CDs or DVDs and mailing them, or uploading them to a Web site. Instead, it allows customers to sync important information, making it well suited for personal or small-business use. The FolderShare service also enables private, remote access to customers' own files from any Web browser.

"Our mission for Windows LiveTM is to enable customers to easily find the information, pursue the interests and deepen the relationships that enrich their lives," said Blake Irving, corporate vice president of the MSN Communication Services and Member Platform group at Microsoft. "I'm thrilled with the acquisition of FolderShare and the opportunity to offer this technology with Windows Live software and services. FolderShare technology will help customers access their information anytime, anywhere and on multiple devices, unifying their overall experience."

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

One of my recent favorite utilities just got acquired.  Microsoft just bought FolderShare.  This deal happened nearly immediately after the heals of Microsoft's accouncement of  http://www.Live.com and the company's future strategy.

I found this very surprising because Microsoft already bought Groove.  Groove seems more aligned with "corporate" and "development" cultures needing P2P.  In contrast, FolderShare is simple "personal" P2P client.  FolderShare has developed a very simple, stable and fast utitity to keep folders in sync. 

I have always believed that Microsoft has been the great "integrator" with the history of good software and hardware.  If you think about Microsoft's catalog of products, they were all acquired, integrated and upgraded.  Some good examples are Excel, SQL Server and Internet Explorer.  However, I do have some mixed feelings about this.  I guess I fear that it will turn into some more complicated or bloated than it really needs to be.  A timely example of this is Microsoft Max.  It's Microsoft's recent attempt at an online/P2P photo album.  It requires both a Passport and a 54 MB download.  Overall, it's not very Grandma friendly.  In contrast, I share my photo's of my kids with Grandma and Grandpa via FolderShare and the built in Photo Screen saver.  FolderShare's download in 646kb in start contrast and will run on any version of Windows greater than Win98.  Take a look at the system requirements of Microsoft Max.  My favorite note is "Beverage and snack. The installation may take a while."