linky Given the budget numbers, the United States has already chosen a path of far bigger government. The trap has been set. It’s unlikely America can escape without a VAT. - Replace income tax with a national sales tax? I’m all for it. - AUGMENT the multi-tiered “simple” income tax with a VAT? HUH?!!! If this passes, turn out the lights–we’re a socialist nation. * * *

New England Vacation Album Yeah, lots of pics of hotels and airplanes, I know…

Quick hits on a few things: * Quote of the Day: “We have two speeds of development: Fast, and Scalded Dog. Which is appropriate here” (no, that was NOT LXK ;-) ) * It’s a fabulous day outside, if you’re a duck. And, it’s supposed to snow tonight. What month is this, again? * Thanksgiving: Looks like we’re doing the Combs/Brentzel shuffle again this year. Thursday at the Combs family. Friday at the Brentzel clan. ...

Did you say distraction? Here I am! Was kin… Jeff Roberts - Nov 1, 2008 Did you say distraction? Here I am! Was kinda jazzed that everyone’s coming to us for Thanksgiving this year until I realized that meant a couple of nights of housecleaning!

Haven’t snoped this yet, but this seems a bit troubling. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up in case you tend to give gift cards around the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though they will be worthless as of January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is actually referred to as “Bankruptcy Planning.” below is a partial list of stores you should be cautious about. ...

yeah no that’s true. it’s been all over the news … Whitney - Nov 5, 2008 yeah no that’s true. it’s been all over the news this morning. They gave it a “Partly true”, but it does make you think. The cards might still be honored, but will the store near the person you gifted still be open after Christmas? ...

Adobe Max 2008

Well, my abbreviated trip (Sunday->Wednesday instead of Saturday->Thursday) comes to an end today. Some highlights: - I saw a guy in a kilt & cod-piece yesterday. Yes, he looked alot like Henry VIII, jowls and all. - Had a nice dinner with Mark at Sam’s Seafood Grille. Pretty good, overall. - The breeze shifted to a sea-breeze yesterday, and the temps plummeted. Imagine it being 72 and warm in the morning and 50, damp, and chilly by the end of the day. Lots of folks in shorts & t-shirts weren’t happy. ...

Notes writeup: -——————– “Top Performing Mobile Applications” Panel: - Allesandro Pace - Darren Osadchuck - Dale Rankin -> Moket - Scott Janousek Alessandro (BORING) Keep UI simple Keep memory below 70% Use name/value pairs in lieu of XML where possible XMLSocket where possible Daren (very low-key and monotone but obviously competent): Optimize loops Prefer the deprecated function calls ( in lieu of Math.* ) functions Remap your keypad Record Keystrokes on CS4 using Device Central’s device set Scott (seemed nervous): ...

Turns out, it’s The Tenderloin Savory, and only a few blocks from here. I particularly liked the stuff about it being resistant to gentrification…

8:47am – Moscone center, West Well, public WiFi seems to be a pipedream. I sit here on the 3rd floor…it’s wall-to-wall people, seems like a mix of folks–guys in french blue business shirts, Bohemian guys with messenger bags, and lots of fat guys with ponytails. Male to female ratio: 5:1. Better than I expected, but we’ll see how things turn out in my sessions. Somehow my Adobe Login got hosed, and I can’t log-in to my account on Adobe.com to change it (again, no WiFi out here) ...

WTF? Thought: Me have logistic/organizatio… Whitney - Nov 2, 2008 WTF? Thought: Me have logistic/organizational charts in head all times overlapping flowing haiku much Charlotte have nonsensical bullet point ammunition Dad Christmas Adobe house Adobe MAX = whacked house in skeletal Maria California sunny PEETS Snow here, ice go boom boom floor Maria word verification pitcher CHARLOTTE GO HOME! Wow, your summary hurts my head. I’m definitely too old to survive one of those! ...

Ah, Bond is back! Whitney and I watched this at the Stoneybrook Cinemas de Lux (in assigned seats no less!) last night. Some thoughts: * I now have epilepsy from watching 27 cuts per seconds during each action scene * Like the other good Bond, Daniel Craig is going bald. * The “Bond Girl” is awesome. * The homage to Goldfinger (dead girl, prone on the bed) * Judi Dench reprises as M, and she’s fabulous. ...

9:15 am Nervous. I’m nervous…I get chatty when I’m nervous, but I don’t have anyone to talk to. I’m in seat 46A, which is the last window seat, port side of the plane. At the moment, I don’t have anyone to talk with. The 767 I’m on is NICE. Seems very much like the one I flew on to Zurich, Switzerland 3 years ago. Minus the smelly Eurotrash, of course. ...

Off to Adobe Max 2008, I guess. Left Whitney asleep (or, groggy, at least) at the Airport Courtyard by Mariott. Flight from Louisville was cramped and cold on an MD-88 that sounded like a cuisinart from takeoff to landing. Glad Whitney wasn’t there…wasn’t quite so bad as the Embraer we suffered on from Philly to SDF, but bad enough. The Transcontinental leg has me on a767, seat 46A. I can’t seem to get free WiFi at either airport; guess those innocent, available days are long gone…perhaps at Frisco. ...

TV Cancellations thrill me. Stinker shows go circling the drain, and we all get to cheer. First big one to go: My Own Worst Enemy. Terrible show, poorly executed–just painful to watch, really. Sad thing is, most things on network TV these days aren’t that much better. Grey’s Anatomy jumped the shark years ago, as has every single reality show. Overall, TV’s just ceasing to exist for me–I like House, though its formulaic nature and current shark sighting (House and Cuddy?! Hello Moonlighting!)

TV? I think I got a vaccination for that in school… Jeff Roberts - Nov 4, 2008 TV? I think I got a vaccination for that in school. Rarely turn the thing on anymore.

linky Banks helping out borrowers… …dogs and cats living together. Mass Hysteria!

I can’t quite articulate the point, but I was thin… Jeff Roberts - Nov 2, 2008 I can’t quite articulate the point, but I was thinking this morning that all the bailing out is analogous to preventing even the small fires in the forest. Without some sort of “controlled burn” on these bad loans, it feels like we’re leaving dead timber around to make the next crisis even more severe. ...

:-) NANO!!!! Every time I hear Paradise City, I’m apexing a curve in my old SE-R, Goodyears howling, somewhere just south of 6800 rpm in 2nd gear. The moonroof’s back, it’s 85 degrees outside as the sun sets in the West, and I’m headed to Louisville to see Whitney. Speed limit be damned, that car loved to MOOVE.