In the eighth grade I decided that I wanted to be an engineer. Initially, I thought chemical engineer, but after I discovered computers it quickly changed to computer engineer. In college I got hooked on programming and networking. It became clear I wasn't going to be mucking about with circuit level design -- Unix, routers, and programming was the life for me.

This proved to be a fateful decision. At work we kicked around the Y2K issue for a couple of years, but it wasn't until mid-1999 that we started to take it seriously. PERL and C were our primary languages. The biggest problem was with our home grown code. No-one used the localtime function properly (guilty). It returns an array including two digits that represent the year. In the 1900s this representation looked like the last two digits of a four digit year. Who needs documentation -- it's pretty clear what the author was going for, right? In actuality, this value is the number of years since 1900. So we had a bunch of code that would concatenate "19" with the value returned from the localtime call and thus we had a 4-digit year, or so we thought. In 1999 this logic would yield 1999. In 2000 this logic would yield 19100. We had worse things than this, but they are too embarrassing to talk about openly. Let's just say it involved actually trying to account for the century change and failing miserably. The funny thing is all this bad, convoluted logic was replaced with the simplest of things (once we read the documentation) -- just add 1900 to the value returned by localtime and viola.

I had two main contributions to the effort: I wrote a program to search through all of the files on our servers and identify offending PERL code. And I went through the source code for smail our MTA at the time and confirmed it was Y2K compliant. Others were not so lucky. I recall Jonathan doing testing for one of our online banking customers. He borrowed an old RS/6000 from the bank and spent weeks running through scenarios -- talk about tedious.

I can't say when it was, but probably sometime in October 1999 it become clear there wasn't going to be a party comes New Years Eve. That's a helluva birthday present. You probably had a grand ole time that New Years, while I and a lot of others in the tech industry spent the night sober, bored, and missing out. How could I know that my fate was sealed all the way back in the eighth grade when I thought, "I want to be an engineer when I grow up."

Did you know in 2038 we get to repeat this whole exercise all over again? Right now this one scares me, but 2038 is a long way off ... so who knows. Hopefully we won't have too many of these pesky 32-bit machines around by then, or better yet I'll be retired.

Ever since that night on the turn of the century when I missed the party to end all parties New Years just hasn't been the same for me. I can count the number of times I've stayed up until midnight on two fingers. I'll be in dreamland come midnight, but have a drink for me anyway. And don't forget this year is one second longer, so don't go getting premature on me.

Happy Frickin' New Year!

Anniston - A Memorial Service for Mr. Donald Paul Holland, 72, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 13, 2008, at McCoy United Methodist Church with Pastor Mary Quillin and Sandy Aids officiating.

Mr. Holland died Wednesday, December 10, 2008, at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center.

Mr. Holland was retired from Baptist Health Systems. He was also a member of the Elks Club, a loyal Alabama fan, and of the Methodist faith. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Holland; his sister, Rose White; a brother, Daniel Holland; and a stepdaughter, Angela M. Hill.

Mr. Holland is survived by his wife of 25 years, Gloria B. Holland; daughter, Angela Parton; brotherin-law, Luther L. White; a granddaughter, Paisley Parton; three grandsons, Reid Parton, Jeromy Hill, and James P. Hill and his wife, Ali; great-grandson, Cameron Hill; several nieces and nephews; and a host of loving friends.

Honorary pallbearers will be E. Witte Aids, Marty White, Luther White, Jimmy Fox, Glenn Jones, Mike Smith, Charles Cox and Jeromy Hill.

The family requests memorials be made to a favorite charity.

Source: Anniston Star

Now I'm sitting @ Moe's Pub wishing I was driving to Anniston. I just want to be there. To steal a line, "The lord may take, but I can give, I can still give." I can give -- solace, support, love. I want to be there for my Granby, and I want her there for me.

In case none of this makes sense -- My Grandfather has been having health problems for some time now. Yesterday he took an unexpected turn for the worst ...

We may not be in West Texas, but listening to people talk around here you get the impression football is every bit as important.

The Warriors' championship bid ended prematurely a couple of weekends ago, and just a few days later the signs were gone.

I'm not one to really follow sports, but I did like the imagery of the signs. I am a fan of Friday Night Lights, and maybe this is more a testament to the way the show is shot. The same stark contrast I see in the show, I can see in Walton when I look out the window. Maybe that is just what the show intends; that everyone can see the fictional Dillon in their surroundings -- bring your own small town (of course).

It seems they are starting to come around.

Update:

I guess I spoke too soon. It appears Apple has pulled the tech note. They also released this statement:

The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box.

I would still make decision for work because, "that's what they pay me for," but when it wasn't required, I would avoid making a decision like the plague.

All of this is to say -- I was sitting in the Cincinnati airport eating lunch when a mother and son came in, and sat at the table across from me. It dawned on me as I was watching the mom order for her son that the number of decision you have to make must increase exponentially once you have children.

Therefore, this is reason #28 why I/we don't intend to have children.

10 Ways to Eat More Bacon
Fried Bacon
Bacon Briefcase
Everything's Better with Bacon
Bacon iPhone Case
Candied Bacon
I <heart> bacon
Obligatory wiki entry

Do you have any bacon links to share?

Edit: More bacon
Pre-bacon
Bacon hater
Goat + Bacon + Ron Paul
Bacon Mints
Bacon Weave
Bacon wrapped bacon
Bacon Dispenser
Wall of Bacon

I've been with the same company for over twelve years. Just over five years ago I started telecommuting when Ali and I moved to New York (state). The first 15 months I rented office space because there was no high speed Internet available where we lived. Other than not having personal interactions with people, things weren't much different. Eventually we moved to a place where high speed Internet was available. My commute changed from driving 10 miles to my office to walking up a flight of stairs. That was about four years ago.

Back in June I went to Portland to visit a friend. One of Adam's things is working from a cafe a couple of times a week. All of the cafes in Portland are setup with free wireless Internet, free power, tables, couches, and comfy chairs. Though we only did it once, I really enjoyed it.

When one works from home (and ones wife does the grocery shopping) one finds that they don't ever have a reason to leave the house. Consequently, over the last four years I've been turning into a real recluse.

Visiting Adam has turned out to be a very good thing for me. He lived in downtown Portland, and everything was in walking distance. I really liked the experience and vibe. When I got back home I started changing my ways - I was looking for was to recreate my experience. The first thing that I did was to start walking to the deli to get lunch every other day.

When Ali and I went to Alabama recently, we hung out at Starbucks a couple of times and that brought the whole cafe experience back. Walton doesn't have any cafes, but I've found that the local McDonalds fits the bill. It doesn't have the amenities of a cafe, but it can be made to work. The largest short coming is there is no power available, which means I get about 2.5-3 hours before my laptop dies. Also, they don't have free wifi, so instead of using it I just tether my cellphone to my laptop. I have been surprised at how well that works. The only issue is I can't be on the Internet and take a call at the same time.

So for the last month, once or twice a week I go to McDonald's; get a large tea (and sometimes a cookie); and sit at a booth and work. It has been great to get out of the house.

I just found out yesterday there is an art store on Main St. that has free wifi and the lady who runs it welcomes people to come hang out. I'm going to be giving her place a try the first chance I get.

My first purchase came in March. I had wanted a hollow bodied guitar ever since I played around with one that John Jetmore had. I think he picked it up from a boutique dealer in Louisville. I was talking to "Uncle" Kenny about them at Thanksgiving and he turned me onto the Gibson ES-335, which is a semi-hollow body. I was really keen on one I found online which was a custom shop model with an "iced tea" finish. I picked it up in March and have been pretty happy with it.

My second purchase just occurred about a week ago. I have wanted a Taylor acoustic guitar for most of this decade. I have been eying the 800 series for a while and was pretty sure I would end up getting one of those. Then in late August I stumbled across the Fall Limited edition guitars. The 2008 model hadn't been announced yet, but they would be in a couple of weeks. I eagerly checked the Taylor site every couple of days until they were announced. The 2008s came in two flavors: Cocobolo with Koa trim, or Koa with Cocobolo trim. I was smitten. I identified three Taylor dealers in Alabama for our annual trip, and we went to each one only to be disappointed -- no one had them in yet. When we got back I contacted the nearest dealer in New York and was told they didn't have any either.

One of the dealers we visited in Alabama was located in Huntsville and a week and a half after our vacation in Alabama I was back there to meet with Adtran. It just so happens that Adtran's headquarters is in Huntsville. On a whim I called the dealer to see if they had gotten some in during that time -- Score! They had one of each model I was interested in.

This guitar is beauty incarnate. The craftsmanship is simply amazing. The sound is much brighter than I expected and it has a nice tone.

After checking it out, I knew I had to have one. When I got back home I got in touch with "Uncle" Kenny who has contacts in the business from a prior life. He was able to setup a sweet deal through Mandolin Brothers. The guitar arrived late last week and I absolutely love it! Thanks, Kenny!

2009 is just around the corner ... what to buy next?

In other news, I photographed all of my equipment and posted pictures in the photo album. Try not to drool on anything.

So Jamie and I went white water rafting on the Ocoee River in north Georgia the beginning of August. This was not a trip I was looking forward to. Any time I have seen white water rafting on TV I have thought to myself, “I will never do that”. But, Jamie wanted to go so I was trying to be a sport about it. How could anyone enjoy 4 hours of the log flume ride at Great Adventure?

After I agreed, I checked out the website. We were doing the combo trip (whew hew - the long version). The trip included class III and IV rapids including the Olympic course. How could a first time rafter possibly survive the Olympic course? I tried not to think about it as the day drew nearer. We flew to Atlanta and met David, Donna, Kristie, and Doug. They all did this trip about 3 years ago. It couldn’t be that bad if they all did it before and wanted to do it again. Then I found out that Donna was nervous. Great, she knew what she was getting herself into and was still apprehensive. I was soggy toast.

The next day we went to the rafting site. We had our ½ hour orientation that included the warning about falling in the river, drowning, and dying. That reassured me greatly, especially the part about getting your foot stuck in river rocks/debris and being pulled under. My mission - don’t fall out of the raft.

Our guide was Neal, and luckily for some reason I had confidence in him to safely navigate us down the river to our impending doom. On the bus ride to the launch site we saw a mama bear and her cub which was a nice diversion. Once there we entered the river at a class III rapid, which much to my surprise was fun. I was able to adequately hold myself in the raft with my feet like you are supposed to and felt fairly secure. Next came a class IV rapid that once again ended up being fun and really boosted my confidence. So for the next 4 hours we meandered down the Ocoee alternating between gentle flow of the water and rapids. My feet were jammed so far into the raft that at one point I thought I might loose a toe, but at least I was not falling out of the boat. Who needs all 10 toes anyway?

I was only nervous for about 10 seconds twice during the whole trip. At one point the guide flooded the entire raft with water and the Titanic came to mind, but I quickly realized we were okay. Overall, it was a blast and I would definitely do it again, although the rest of the group is talking about a class V trip next year. I don’t think I am ready for that, but who knows what I can be talked into.

Adam and I went back to their condo to drop my stuff. He has a great place in downtown Portland. We spent the first evening walking around his neighborhood. It has just about everything you could ask for and a nice vibe to boot. Eventually we stopped at the Blue Moon Tavern which is a McMenamins. We only went to a couple of them and the Blue Moon was sort of low key compared to the other one we went to (more on that later). We sat outside and I had my first taste of Oregon microbrews. This was to become a central theme of my trip. Microbrews were ubiquitous and I’m pretty sure I didn’t drink the same thing twice. It was all really good. We usually got samplers before making a selection; it was sort of like doing wine tastings. I usually deferred to Adam and let him pick things for me (he always made good choices).

We both took Friday off and Adam took me hiking and site seeing. We went for breakfast at a place called Mother’s. Then it was off to Angels Rest. On the way we needed gas, I didn’t realize it, but in Oregon you are not allowed to pump your own gas. Apparently New Jersey is like that too, though I have never gotten gas there. At first I thought, “This is sort of neat,” but as the trip progressed the novelty quickly wore off. It seems in a lot of places service is slow, and it can be annoying to have to sit and wait for something that you can just as easily do yourself.

Angels Rest is off of the historic Columbia River Gorge Highway and before we hiked it we drove up to the Vista House. The road was narrow and Adam likes to drive fast so it was a little harrowing at times, but I tried to be cool and not let on that my heart was beating a little faster than normal. The views - and let me just say this is true of everywhere we went - were spectacular! The Vista House it deceiving too, it looks small from the outside, but there is a whole bunch more of it underground.

We headed back to Angels Rest and hiked up to some rock cliffs overlooking the Columbia River. It was probably 2-2.5 miles up with some decent ascents in places. We were able to talk the whole time so I’d say it was a moderate hike. It was a beautiful sunny day. It was pretty hot on the way up (and down), but once we hit the top we came around to the side that gets all of the wind and we lounged on some rocks for a bit and cooled off.

We then headed down the highway a few miles to Multnomah Falls. There were actually several falls along the highway, but this was one setup for tourists. Adam bought us snow cones, which turned out to be colored ice with not much flavor. There is actually a pull off into the center of I-84 with a parking area and a tunnel going under one side to allow people to stop and see the falls.

Next we headed further up the highway to Bonneville Lock and Dam. There is a fish ladder to allow salmon and other fish to swim upstream. They have a viewing room where you can watch the fish swim by. Directly off of it is a small office where someone has to sit and count all of the fish that swim by - I couldn’t imagine doing that all day. There is also a fish hatchery and so we went over to check it out. They raise white sturgeon there, and had several that were very large (like 10-15 feet long).

A little further up I-84 and we were in Hood River. We went to a place called the Big Horse Brew Pub. I was sweaty and dirty from the day’s adventures, but Adam didn’t seem to care so I just let it go. Hood River is built on a hill or the side of a mountain or something - anyway the brew pub was at the top, and we had a great view of the river. Adam told me hood river was famous for wind and kite surfing, but while we were there not many people were out on the water. We had a good meal. I tried tofu but I didn’t really care for it -- the texture is weird. Of course, we had more good microbrews. I really wish I had kept a diary of all the different things I tried.

After dinner we decided to drive around Hood Mountain. Adam took me to the Timberline Lodge, which was used in the opening footage of The Shining. There was still snow on the ground, probably enough to go skiing. We walked around the inside of the lodge. It was an amazing place considering the time it was built and the tools they had available at the time. The view was really cool from there too. We could see the Three Sisters and a couple of other peaks that I can’t recall the names of.

We got back to Adam’s late sometime after 10. During the hike we had been talking about Guitar Hero. I had never played it. I sort of look down on the game because I feel like it really has nothing to do with playing the guitar. Adam’s claim was that there are aspects that could help improve “real” guitar ability. I totally disagreed. We played it for a bit when we got back to his place. Afterwards I knew I was right. He then played me the South Park episode about Guitar Hero -- that pretty much says it all, especially the scene in which Stan’s is auditioning a new partner.

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Oregon Gone Wild.

View the photo album for this entry.

I highly recommend listening to the show if you haven't already.