Thanksgiving in Vegas
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Thanksgiving in Vegas
Todd Swank's Diary Entry for December 1, 2024
This year, Thanksgiving took a detour from turkey to slot machines. Avery
ditche...
January 31, 2011
Intel Finds, Fixes Design Flaw In Sandy Bridge Chipsets
The news of the chipset error could has big implications for the channel, said Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at Nor-Tech, a Burnsville, Minn.-based system builder.
Swank said his company had received OEM samples of the Sandy Bridge and related products, and already had two SKUs lined up, before he heard the news this morning.
"We were totally in preparation mode," Swank said. "Intel has been out there preparing for the launch for a month. This is a big move."
Customers will be disappointed at the delay in the Sandy Bridge products, Swank said. "But the current Intel stuff out there in the market is pretty good," he said.
Swank praised Intel for getting the news out as quickly as it did and for taking care of the error before it hit the systems market.
"Good for Intel for stepping up and delaying shipments instead of sending them out and later dealing with issues related to the SATA drives," he said. "Good for Intel, which prides itself on its manufacturing."
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229200110/intel-finds-fixes-design-flaw-in-sandy-bridge-chipsets.htm
Swank said his company had received OEM samples of the Sandy Bridge and related products, and already had two SKUs lined up, before he heard the news this morning.
"We were totally in preparation mode," Swank said. "Intel has been out there preparing for the launch for a month. This is a big move."
Customers will be disappointed at the delay in the Sandy Bridge products, Swank said. "But the current Intel stuff out there in the market is pretty good," he said.
Swank praised Intel for getting the news out as quickly as it did and for taking care of the error before it hit the systems market.
"Good for Intel for stepping up and delaying shipments instead of sending them out and later dealing with issues related to the SATA drives," he said. "Good for Intel, which prides itself on its manufacturing."
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229200110/intel-finds-fixes-design-flaw-in-sandy-bridge-chipsets.htm
January 30, 2011
A Boring Week in January
A Boring Week in January
Shortarmguy's Diary Entry for January 30, 2011
It's hard to write a weekly diary entry and try to make my family's life seem exciting all the time. Some weeks are just dang boring and we don't feel like doing much. Like this week. Where the most exciting thing we did was play Ping Pong and make our dog pose for pictures with us during the game.
As hard we try to make it seem like we're having fun, it just doesn't work....even when the Ping Pong ball comes streaking across the room like Haley's Comet!
Miss Sheri and Avery grew extremely bored waiting for the ball to be hit toward them. I kept trying to tell them there was no one there to hit the ball to them since Luke and I were taking their picture, but they just wouldn't listen.
On Saturday, things looked like they might be picking up a bit when we went to watch Avery play his basketball game.
We stopped by to pickup Grandma Linda to see if she could help make things more fun for us. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
I thought it might help us feel better if I kept score for the game. But then Avery's team lost and I kept blaming myself all day thinking somehow it may have been my fault. Maybe I accidentally scored some points for the other team? I just couldn't remember.
We thought doing a little shopping would make us feel better so we decided to go and buy a punching bag. But then Luke hurt himself while trying one out at the store so we changed our minds.
We then decided to go and buy a couple Goldfish for the boys. Things were going well until they decided they wanted one girl fish and one boy fish. We spent quite a bit of time trying to determine which fish was which. We finally just had the lady give us ones that had pretty colors.
Luke and Avery did do their good deed for the week when they joined their Church Group to volunteer for the Group, Feed My Starving Children, where they helped prepare food that is sent to starving people all around the world. So they have that going for them.
Not only did they help some hungry kids, but they also got to wear these really cool hats! Those lucky boys!!
Have a great week, everyone!!!
Have a great week, everyone!!!
Hunting Accident
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?". The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"
The Crocodile Whisperer
Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho - a deadly 17ft crocodile.
The 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy - and giving him an affectionate hug.
Chito made friends with the croc after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state's Parismina river 20 years ago.
He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death.
But Chito enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat.
He says: "When I found Pocho in the river he was dying, so I brought him into my house. He was very skinny, weighing only around 150 lb. I gave him chicken and fish and medicine for six months to help him recover."
"I stayed by Pocho's side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad."
"It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day. I love all animals - especially ones that have suffered."
It took years before Chito felt that Pocho had bonded with him enough to get closer to the animal.
He says: "After a decade I started to work with him. At first it was slow, slow. I played with him a bit, slowly doing more."
"Then I found out that when I called his name he would come over to me."
At one point during his recovery, Chito left the croc in a lake near his house.. But as he turned to walk away, to his amazement Pocho got out of the water and began to follow him home.
Chito recalls:
"That convinced me the crocodile could be tame."
But when he first fearlessly waded into the water with the giant reptile his family was so horrified they couldn't bear to watch. So instead, he took to splashing around with Pocho when they were asleep....
Four years ago Chito showed some of his tricks to friends, including getting the animal to close his eyes on command, and they convinced him to go public with a show.
Now he swims and plays with Pocho as well as feeding him at the lake near his home in the lowland tropical town of Sarapiqui .
The odd couple have now become a major tourist attraction, with several tour operators, including Crocodile Adventures, taking visitors on touring cruises to see the pair.
On the Crocodile Adventures website it describes the spectacle as: "One of the most amazing things that no cruise ship passenger will want to miss, the adventure show between the man and the crocodile."
AMAZING!!!
January 29, 2011
Video: Dazed and Confused (in 120 seconds)
Watch one of my all time favorite movies in just two minutes!
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check
Shown below, is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing, but serious enough to have it published recently, in the New York Times.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check, with which I endeavored to pay my plumber with last month. By my calculations, three nano seconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only twenty one years. You are to be commended, for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30, by way of penalty for the inconvenience I have so grossly caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that, whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank and your employees have become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore, and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank, whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an OFFENSE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her, as your bank knows about me... there is no alternative!
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me, to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further for you. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH ONLY.
#1. To make an appointment to see me.
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room, in case I am there.
#4 To transfer the call to my bedroom, in case I am sleeping.
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet, in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone, if I am not at home.
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. A Password will be communicated to you at a later date, to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
#10. This is a second reminder to press * for English. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a less than happy and cordial day?
Your Humble Client
And remember: Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check, with which I endeavored to pay my plumber with last month. By my calculations, three nano seconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.
I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only twenty one years. You are to be commended, for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30, by way of penalty for the inconvenience I have so grossly caused to your bank.
My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that, whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank and your employees have become.
From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore, and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank, whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an OFFENSE under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her, as your bank knows about me... there is no alternative!
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me, to access my account balance on your phone bank service.
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let me level the playing field even further for you. When you call me, press buttons as follows:
IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH ONLY.
#1. To make an appointment to see me.
#2. To query a missing payment.
#3. To transfer the call to my living room, in case I am there.
#4 To transfer the call to my bedroom, in case I am sleeping.
#5. To transfer the call to my toilet, in case I am attending to nature.
#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone, if I am not at home.
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. A Password will be communicated to you at a later date, to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
#10. This is a second reminder to press * for English. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.
May I wish you a less than happy and cordial day?
Your Humble Client
And remember: Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.
January 28, 2011
Today Show--- January, 1994...What is the Internet??
Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric don't know what the Internet is....
January 27, 2011
January 26, 2011
Mark Sanchez Picks Nose, Wipes Booger On Mark Brunell's Jacket
Goes to show how Sanchez feels about his backup quarterback!
Texting Advice
Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse!
January 25, 2011
January 24, 2011
January 23, 2011
Fantasy Football Champion 2010 --- Shortarmguy's Diary Entry for January 23, 2011
Fantasy Football Champion 2010
Shortarmguy's Diary Entry for January 23, 2011
All right, I know most of you will think "Big Deal! He won his Fantasy Football League. Who Cares?" Well, the people at my office care. We have a 12 man league and we take our Fantasy Football pretty seriously! And for the first time, I'm taking home the trophy! I have to give a good chunk of the credit to ESPN's Matthew Berry who told me to draft Arian Foster, Running Back of the Houston Texans, who ended up being the highest scoring player of the year. In any case, I'm proud to have won our Fantasy Football League!! Also, I had a pretty lame week and couldn't think of any other pictures to put at the top of this week's diary entry. So this one looked as good as any of them.
So when I say I had a pretty lame week, it in no way reflects the fact that Miss Sheri's family was in town. We actually had a lot of fun together! Except in this picture. I was working while they went to the Mall of America together on Friday, so I didn't get a chance to join them in the excitement.
Avery was excited for his cousins to come to town, because he got to go with them to the Mall of America's Nickelodeon Universe! Avery rarely gets to go on amusement park rides because his brother's cardiologist has banned Luke from pretty much all thrill rides due to his heart condition. Therefore, it causes us a lot of drama when Avery gets to go on rides and Luke can't, so we pretty much just try to avoid amusement parks.
It used to be a lot easier when we could take Luke on the kiddie rides and sneak Avery away to some of the bigger rides. Unfortunately for us, that strategy doesn't really work any more.
Lucky for Luke, he can still go on the Bumper Cars which gives him a chance to take out some of his aggression on Avery. He has a lot of it pent up which creates for some pretty big collisions. Note the "No Head-On Collisions" sign in back and their lack of attention to it!
The main reason for Miss Sheri's family to visit us was because we haven't had the chance to have Christmas together yet. The boys were very excited to open their new Prior Lake Lakers sweatshirts from Grandma!!
Grandma Leona was just as excited when she opened this brand new gas handle from Uncle Jerry. I didn't catch the reason why she needed one of these, but my guess is she's ripped off 1 or 2 while filling up her car and this is a spare she can use in the future.
On Saturday morning, Miss Sheri's family joined us in rooting on Avery during his basketball game.
We were happy when Avery's team won the game 22 to 20. They might have had the upper hand because the other team was trying extra hard to challenge themselves by only playing with their backs turned against their opponents. We're not sure why they did this, but were glad for the win just the same.
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