http://www.jimcarson.com Contains no trans-fats, lead or red dye #2 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:27:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en During my travel adventures last week, I was rerouted to Hartford, CT, instead of Providence, RI.  With about 20 minutes left before my (new) flight, I canceled my rental car with Enterprise and tried to find an alternative rental as Enterprise doesn't do point-to-point rentals. The top half shows the ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/expedia/ Oh. My. Bat-shit crazy lunatic maniacs in semi-control of two ton death hammers. How to make a right turn, Boston style: Maintain your poker face. Don't slow down.  Don't make a sideways glance.  DO NOT touch the stick on the left side of the steering column. Slam on your brakes. Make ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/stereotype-about-boston-drivers-ahoy/ Caption: Inspiration that I will, eventually get where I need to... Today I was supposed to be in a free training class by the host vendor of the conference.  At least I thought I was.  The "you are confirmed for ... training" email  apparently had a secret "respond to the confirmation ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/you-are-not-not-unconfirmed/ The exhibit hours begin at the insanely sadistic 7:00 a.m., made even worse by this being in EST and my still being sick.  If my experiment with fasting yields positive results and I am coherent tomorrow evening, I hope to check out the fireworks downtown (though not the rooftop VIP ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/detroit/ Google's Gmail has a nifty feature that lets you set up other mailboxes so they're accessible in one place. Thus, instead of logging into one of my other domains' mail client to answer email sent to "toothfairy@" (for kids who might want to ask about the business model), I ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/not-so-privacy/ I don't drive as much as I used to, but yowza, $54.87 to fill up my gas tank today.  For some historical perspective, the Energy Information Administration at the Department of Energy who publishes weekly gasoline prices.  Here, they attempt to explain gas pricing, best summarized as: World crude oil prices ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/429/ It saddens me that bluetooth wireless headsets have become a fashion accessory. Problem #1: Headset stealth creates awkward moments when you don't know that person is actually engaged in a conversation with a human, and not invisible pink maniacal unicorns. This evening, on the way down from my floor, the elevator ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/ilobot/ Inspired by Spring being officially upon us in the northwest (while the rest of you in North America are having "summer"), I went on another cleaning rampage the weekend before CROC, this time focusing on the garage. For the most part, this involved coming to acceptance that the 17" ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/time-capsule/ Day One: Saturday's route was mostly similar to last year's, taking us from the took us from the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute to Pendleton, west to Echo, north to Hat Rock state park and back southeast to Pendleton. Because it was a little rainy when we started, I wasn't ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/croc-2008/ After telecommuting most of the morning, I drove down to Pendleton for the three-day Century Ride of the Centuries ("CRoC"). I broke up the monotony of I-90/I-82 with a little jaunt down Yakima Canyon road: During this evening's orientation, Chuck Wood (the CRoC emcee) mentioned a request from Lieutenant Commander ... http://www.jimcarson.com/2008/croc-0/