So the notoriously anti-gun CDC have released a study saying that gun control laws don't do anything to prevent violence. Call "Sixty Minutes". Next they'll be saying that outlawing prostitution doesn't prevent hooking, either... when will people get that laws don't prevent illegal behavior, they just identify it as such? The CDC, predictably, are saying that this just means that the subject needs "more study". Translation: we don't like the results of this study, so we want to do more of them until we hear what we want to hear. (And no one, to my knowledge, has ever been able to address the question of why the CDC are involved in firearms studies in any event -- guns can certainly cause injury and death, of course, but they are not a disease, which is what the CDC are supposed to be involved with).
According to this morning's issue of "Express", two hikers in the mountains in Sweden arrived at a secluded location and found seventy pairs of shoes, all filled with butter. I don't even know where to start with that one.
I applied with Geeks on Call for a position as a field technician. They called me on Tuesday night and did a brief telephone interview, based on which they've decided to interview me. Fun stuff. The guy asked me a bit about my background, why I was job hunting, and so on, then he said, "I'm going to ask you two sample questions... based on how you respond, I may ask you more questions." He ended up asking five altogether, out of which I got four right. I hope I get this position.
Arnold won the election, of course, as we all know... I knew he would as soon as he announced he was running; I said all along that there was no way he could possibly lose. I'm really surprised at how many people there were who disagreed with me.
Denise and I are beginning to entertain ourselves with Commodore 64 emulators. Much to my surprise, she had never played, or even heard of, "Archon", which is, IMO, just about the best video game ever created. So, naturally, it was the first disk image I sent to her.
From today's Washington Times: an article about tests that are given to train airport screeners. Actual sample question on the test:
Why is it important to screen bags for IEDs (improvised explosive devices)?
a. The IED batteries could leak and damage other passengers' bags.
b. The wires in the IED could cause a short to the aircraft wires.
c. IEDs can cause loss of lives, property, and aircraft.
d. The ticking timer could worry other passengers.
I couldn't believe my eyes. These people have been hired, and are in training, to become airport screeners, and the TSA really feels the need to ask them why it's important to look for bombs in luggage?
And that's about all for now... further bulletins as events warrant.
Posted by Zathras at October 10, 2003 12:12 PMSorry man - Archon rocks, but M.U.L.E. rocks even harder.
Posted by: Shaw at October 10, 2003 05:24 PMI will admit though that I used to play both for hours on end...
Posted by: Shaw at October 10, 2003 05:25 PMSee - those games made you think. They didn't have a gazillion buttons on the joystick, they didn't have fancy graphics, the music came out in bleeps and boops, but it made you think.
I dunno about you, Zathras (hey! I spelled yer name right), but despite what I know about computers, I still can't figure out to control those %$@!$!$# playstation 2 games or even xbox...I try 'em in a store display, and all these kids circle around me and laugh "HA HA! Look at that old fogie trying to make Mario walk!" *sigh*
Posted by: Shaw at October 10, 2003 08:00 PMAre you sure geeks on call would be right for you? I do telephone tech support, and that is stressful enough without actually going to a customers home and interacting with them face to face. Gah!
Some customers actually break things on their computers just to talk to someone, and I get propostioned a couple of times a year by both sexes. It's a real circus sometimes. Just make sure you have adequate time for de-stressing, and are adaquately compensated for your stress and eventual burnout.
http://www.deadtroll.com/video/helldeskcable.html
Posted by: Matt at October 10, 2003 11:54 PMDifferent strokes for different folks, I suppose. There were a lot of great games, and M.U.L.E. was certainly one of them, but I do think Archon was better.
As to working for Geeks on Call, I actually think it would be a great job. I did, and do, a lot of telephone tech support as well, and I've also done a fair number of "house calls". I much, much prefer to work on a computer myself in person rather than trying to talk someone else thru a troubleshooting process. My only real concern is that being with Geeks on Call is probably going to involve a lot of driving -- I'm very much a novice driver, never having owned a car. It'll probably be a little rough at first, but I can use the driving experience.
I do appreciate your comments about needing to decompress, and I'll definitely keep that in mind.
Posted by: Zathras at October 11, 2003 08:34 PM