Xorton's Rant

"Knowing is better than not knowing" No kidding. I wonder how long it took a marketing company to come up with that little gem (for those of you who don't know, this is the marketing hook for the governments electronic health records program). Given that time is money, and it was on the taxpayers dollar, probably several months. Actually they probably spent the first 8 months with "Knowing is half the battle" and looking into whether they could actually rip off GI Joe without any legal repercussions, then settling on "Knowing is better than not knowing" in the last two minutes. I've been in on marketing meetings. Here's a few of free suggestions for next time: Not knowing can KILL you. Not knowing just plain sucks. Knowing saves lives. On a side note, knowing is not always better. I can think of several examples: Your parents sexual history. What your dog dragged in off that busy highway and is currently fiercely protecting...

Often while we techs are running cables or tracking down network issues, we will discover hidden rooms and spaces that are not on the official maps of the building. Our company has used the building since the 1970's, so it's not surprising that we do find these spaces from time to time... it's just that whenever we think we've found them all, we come across another mysterious set of doors. In these cases it's hard not to feel a little bit like Howard Carter... it helps that the room is usually unlit, requires climbing over all sorts of rubbish and debris and it's dustier than an Egyptians Pharaoh's tomb. Past "treasures" we've uncovered include a couple of 486 Compaq computers and various 5 1/4" drives in working order (okay, I use the term "treasures" rather lightly!) but being an avid collector of old technology, I actually find these little expeditions to be fairly interesting. Recently (as pictured) we came across a roo...

Well, okay... not aliens per se, but their remotely operated human impersonating probe droids are. I know because I've encountered a few over the years. Here's how you can spot one: 1) They have limited or no personality. A blank piece of paper will be by comparison significantly more interesting. 2) They will avoid small talk and casual conversation. They will not volunteer any personal information about themselves. When pressed, any "interests" they may have will usually be something very dull... like circuit boards or the metric system. 3) They have limited knowledge of human customs or culture. Questions about such things will often solicit either a blank or confused look. 4) They do not understand humour or common slang and colloquialisms. This will also solicit a blank or confused look. 5) Responses to the above questions will often be responded to... usually several hours after the original question or conversation has occurred. The long pause can ...

My friend Andy left this item on my work desk this past weekend. For those of you too young to recognize it, it is in fact an 8" floppy disk. Best laugh I've had yet this year. Unfortunately while Andy was being cheeky, I do have the occasional user who does ask for data retrieval from some interesting formats.

First I must apologize for not posting more blogs... I've had a few ideas in my head, I've just not been overly motivated to do anything with them. So, by popular request, here we go! Most of you who know me well, know I don't particularly care for award shows. I don't care what movies the "establishment" likes. What they like and what I like seem to be two entirely different things. I don't care what actresses are wearing this year or what some flaky fashion designer has cobbled together out of paper clips and twine and charge some overly stupid actress $10,000 for. I'm really not interested in all the ass kissing either. Besides, these shows take valuable air time away from infomercials which I also hate, but are at least a little more entertaining. That said, I saw two movies in 2011 that were actually produced in 2011. The rest I wasn't interested in seeing. So, my pick this year for best picture which in my opinion is worth more th...