Bnpositive's Blog

Just read an article by Matthew Magain on Sitepoint that’s talking about the new opt-in meta tag function being developed by Microsoft for release in IE8.

You may or may not have heard about IE8 passing the ACID2 test. Which I think should have been good news right? But it’s never enough for Microsoft, or more accurately, those who are always looking for something to pick on Microsoft for in their methods.

I develop a lot of web pages and sadly I’m probably not as earnest about making sure everything is compliant as I should be. I rely on the software I’m using to write compliant code based on acceptable standards. I set my bug tracking and quality control requirements to high standards and then let it go from there.

With all that being sad, I’m by no means your hard-core, professional hand-coding web developer.

By requiring developers to declare when they want new browser rendering engines to kick in, Microsoft hopes to eliminate the kinds of page layout issues that plagued the release of IE7. From now on, if you write a page for a particular version of IE, it should work in all future versions of IE.

That’s just makes sense to me.

From my perspective though, I don’t know what the problem is with Microsoft providing the ability for developers to specifically mold their websites to IE8 standards as an option. For all you hard-hand-coders, if you want the ultimate in standards compliance go for it.

For the billions of other web pages out there that don’t specifically opt-in, they’ll still be rendered in IE7 as the lowest common denominator. Unless I’m reading it incorrectly, that means that nothing breaks for all those sites with the release of IE8 and ongoing usage by consumers.

If I’m getting the details of this wrong, can someone please clear this up for me?

After spending seven years in the travel industry I built up a pretty good list of gripes and annoyances with the procedure of booking travel, selling travel and actually traveling.

The Transportation Safety Administration has launched a blog where they want travelers to share their opinions and suggestions for travel.

From their website:

There is no time to talk, to listen, to engage with each other. There isn’t much opportunity for our Security Officers to explain the ‘why,’ of what we ask you to do at the checkpoint, just the ‘what’ needs to be done to clear security. The result is that the feedback and venting ends up circulating among passengers with no real opportunity for us to learn from you or vice versa. We get feedback verbally and non-verbally at the checkpoint and see a lot in the blogs, again without a real dialogue.

What’s your biggest pet peeve about the industry? Have you spent much time lately at an airport? What griped you the most?

• Evolution of Security
• News Source: Air your security gripes on TSA blog

Pretty funny stuff. Go check it out at JibJab.com and make one with you and your friends.

The question was presented to me by my channel editor at b5 for an upcoming theme across the channel.

My immediate thought was that I couldn’t live without Windows Live Writer now. I’ve become so used to the application that my productivity around blogging and expressing my thoughts and creativity are enmeshed through-out the app. As I find more interesting plug-ins and tools to use and functions within it already that make my life easier, Windows Live Writer becomes even more crucial to me day.

Alas, if I ever stopped blogging, my life would go on and Windows Live Writer would be less important to me. With this I started trying to think about other apps I couldn’t live without.

My first thought was Outlook. Communication after all is what I majored in for college, so an application that helps me communicate and share thoughts again would be pretty important. But, if Outlook didn’t exist I’d find another method, Webmail perhaps.

What about Trillian, my instant messaging client? No, if it went away I’d just use the individual clients at the worst-case, but find another similar application more than likely.

Firefox? Yet again though, I decided if it didn’t exist I’d easily start using IE7 as my primary browser again, or some other option if I were forced to.

WHAM! It hit me, the application I couldn’t live without isn’t really an application per se. It’s the Internet itself. Oh yeah, I’m sure if something occurred and it went down and no longer existed I’d keep living and life would eventually go on. Nowadays though I can’t even comprehend life without the Internet.

There you go.

I admit it.

I couldn’t live without… the Internet. Thank you Al Gore!

My boss’s laptop, running Vista, crashed this morning. It had been plugged in the entire time, but when he started it up at our client the battery went from 100% charged to 6% and then died.

When he powered it back on it said it had recovered from a severe crash and provided a link to a fix. He clicked the link, downloaded the fix and installed it. Seems to be working now.

My wife just IM’d me and said her computer just blacked out and died, but it was plugged-in to the wall.

Are the two events related? Both computers are Toshiba laptops. My wife didn’t get the severe error prompt or fix with a link.

Hmmmmm.

The b5 Tech Channel is having a bit of a theme going on now where our various writers are talking about what application they couldn’t live without. As I develop more web-applications it became an easy transition for me to start thinking about what website could I not live without.

Since I can’t even begin to start thinking about limiting that down to a functional list I figured I’d throw it out to the group. Here’s a new poll about what website you couldn’t live without. I’ve started with a few entries that came to mind quickly, but this poll will let you add your own site as well.

Let me know. I’m eager to see what you put and get introduced to some new websites myself I’m sure.

Fill out our new poll over there in the sidebar. I’m curious as to what everyone is paying for their Internet access.

What kind of access do you have and pay for? I’m waiting on AT&T’s UVerse to be available in my neighborhood as I’m ready to ditch Comcast. FiOS would also be cool. But I’ve also heard that cable companies are significantly increasing their bandwidth plans.

I’m wondering if I really need it at this point though.

Thanks to my friend Ben for uncovering this and sharing it with me on his blog. Oddly enough, it was also mentioned on my drive in to work as I was listening to the Net@Nite podcast with Leo Laporte and Amber MacArthur.

Two California Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on I-15, North of MCAS Miramar. One of the officers was using a hand held radar device to check speeding vehicles approaching the base near the crest of a hill.

The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300+ miles per hour. The officer attempted to reset the radar gun, but it would
not reset and turned itself off.

Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact locked onto a USMC F/A-18 Hornet which was engaged in a low flying exercise near the location.

Back at the CHP Headquarters the upset Patrol Captain fired off a complaint to the USMC Base Commander.

Back came a reply in true USMC style:

Thank you for the message, which allows us to complete our file on this incident.

You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, an air to ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment.

Fortunately the Highly Trained Marine Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert
status and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar was destroyed.

Thank you for your concerns.

Image Source: Abandoned & Little Known Airfields

I received the e-mail below from a friend and although it’s not talking about a specific website, I wholeheartedly agree with the message communicated and encourage everyone out there to do it as well.

• WHAT: Get Serious About Personal Debt & the Economy
• WHEN: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 – exactly one week after Super Tuesday
• WHERE: Everywhere in the United States of America
• WHO: Everyone in the United States of America

Bottom line is this: To make our voices heard and to take responsibility for our personal debt.  The mortgage disaster in 2007 began a series of discussions with the inevitable debate of “Whose fault is it?”  Is it the mortgage companies who made unethical loans with consumers or is it the consumers’ fault for not being well-informed or waiting until they could REALLY afford a home?

Let’s answer both questions at the same time.  Let’s show the consumer lending industry that the American people will not stand for shady lending practices.  Let’s also show some personal responsibility for the debt we have incurred by not taking on any more debt.  Let’s not borrow on Tuesday, February 12, 2008.

HOW

Do not borrow on this day.  How do we accomplish this?  Here are some guidelines:

1. Do not use a credit card in any way for any purchase on this day.  This includes major credit cards, gas credit cards, department store credit cards, etc.
2. Use cash, checks and debit cards only for purchases on this day.  However, if you know you are about to write a check that will overdraft your checking account, DON’T WRITE IT.  This is also borrowing.
3. Do not apply for or close a loan on this day.  This means credit cards, vehicle loans, student loans, debt consolidations or mortgages.
4. Do not go to a quick-cash, fast-cash, payday advance or any other “get money now” business.
5. Do not do anything else that would be considered borrowing. (And, yes, this includes getting $20 bucks from mom with the promise you’ll pay her back.)
6. DO NOT GO ON A SPENDING SPREE THE DAY BEFORE OR THE DAY AFTER THIS DATE.
7. Pay off small balances by this date.  If you have a balance on a department store card of $200, for example, pay it off by this date if at all possible.
8. Idea:  Take this concept one step further and open a savings account.  Make a promise to yourself that you will save something – even if it’s only $5 per month.

Show the leaders of our country, and the presidential hopefuls, that we are serious about personal debt and the economy.  That’s why the date is one week after the big primary day, Super Tuesday, February 5^th.  Let’s work together and get the word out.  Let’s make this country better – let’s make ourselves better.  Let’s begin Tuesday, February 12, 2008!

For me, #1 – #6 isn’t a problem at all. I haven’t done any of those things in quite some time. #7 and #8 will be a challenge for me, particularly by 02/12.

What about you?

Image Source

I may be setting myself up for some ridicule here but I am a huge G.I.Joe fan. I grew up collecting the stuff (the little ones, not the big action figures). This was my generation of toys. I’m almost ashamed to admit it now, but I ditched Star Wars figures for G.I.Joe because they could bend their elbows and knees and of course the kung-fu battle grip!

I don’t know how many thousands of dollars I spent over the years on this stuff, but the good news is I’ve still got it all.

With that background, you can now understand why I’m excited to hear about more news of a live-action G.I.Joe movie.

I don’t know who Channing Tatum is, but it looks like he’ll be playing Duke. Here are my more ecstatic choices for casting though that seemed to be sealed and delivered.

	Ray Park as Snake-Eyes. You’ll never actually see his face in the movie, which may be the reason you don’t recognize him, but this is PERFECT. Maybe you’re familiar with his other work as Darth Maul or Toad in X-Men.
	Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty. Straight from LOST. I think this was a great casting too. I think maybe someone better could have been Michael Duncan Clark, a.k.a. Kingpin from Daredevil.
	Rachel Nichols as Scarlett O’Hara. Yeah! The red hair and green dress nail it!
	Marlon Wayans as Ripcord. I’m guessing some comic relief there. I’d have to go check out my bio-card for Ripcord to confirm this as a good casting fit.
	Sienna Miller as the Baroness. I think someone like Elizabeth Hurley would be better don’t you?

I can’t wait to see some casting in costume photos when they’re available.

If you’ve been reading for very long you know I’m a big fan of LEGOs and what you can build with them.

A friend sent me the link to this guy’s photos and discussion about him building a replica of General Grievous’ Invisible Hand Ship from LEGOs.

Well, ladies and gentleman…oh, who are we kidding…Well gentleman, after nine months of late-night brick building, explanations, groveling, and apologies to my now-estranged wife, countless Bricklink orders, subsequent mortgages, loan sharks, black market sales of all non-essential organs, and more work-shirking than you can shake a stick at, the epic struggle to build my first SHIP has reached its conclusion… she’s finally finished.

Mark Kelso is the man in the photo above that’s to scale of the finished model. Finished is indeed the right word. What an amazing job of putting this thing together. I can’t even comprehend the time and diligence it took to start this thing and see it all the way through to the end.