Eighty Years (or so) To The Big Zero

Last Sunday some friends came out and we cut down a bunch of trees. We cut them into sections of about six to eight feet to be used as borders for a raised garden at the school.

While we were doing that the big tractor came over and did some great work moving the pine trees that had been piled up at the end of my driveway for years now. Then he went and pulled all the stumps out of the back yard. It was amazing.

Here are some before and after shots of the driveway clearing. See that huge Live Oak in the background? Now it can breathe.

You can just make out where he moved the pine trees in the left side of this next image. It’ll much easier to burn them in the open now.

Speaking of burning this is an image of the fire I started the Monday (24Mar08) before Spring Break. It was still smoking when I went to work out in the yard last Sunday (13Apr08). We had four days of rain during this time also. How it stayed lit I have no idea. The fire must have hidden in a root under the dirt or something.

This Land

Four weeks after planting here are some garden pictures.

Granted I only helped plant them. My friend, whose land the garden is growing in, has been maintaining it these last few weeks so other than the planting I haven’t done much but take these pictures. But these are great pictures, no?

This Land

I picked up the guitar this evening for the first time in nearly a year. I missed it even though I was only able to play for about 45 minutes before my fingers were raw.

I made some extra money today which was much needed. And then I skidded my car on a dirt road going around a bend and screwed up the alignment. That should eat all the extra money I just made. :oops:  Karma I suppose.

I must have been a terrible banker type in a past life and now I’m paying for it. That’s fine I can deal with that but it would be nice that if you did have to pay for past mistakes/behaviors you could remember them so the lessons could have some context. That’s all I’m saying. Is that too much to ask?

UPDATE: I drove the car this morning and the shimmering has gone away (mostly). I’m thinking it was some mud under the rim. I’m gonna call the Toyota place and see if they can still take a look at it anyway, just to ensure I didn’t screw anything up. *cross fingers*

My foot is feeling much better today although it still hurts some. I don’t know what happened over the weekend but perhaps that drive and not walking on it - too much - helped it heal up some. I’m still going to the doctor because I want to make sure it’s not broken.It’s been hurting since last Sunday and for it to suddenly go away is kinda weird.

The Credit Trap, Thinking out loud

I was working on some coding for a statistics page for a website I’m running. I needed to get the number of titles in the library rated between a certain number and split by category (Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction).

Back in the day I would write out the query five times and assign variables for all the statistics but not today. Today I had a vision and it was code sweet!

After brushing up on arrays for a few minutes I harnessed the power of arrays and wrote out this code. (See if you can follow the logic flow. 8^)

function count_number_titles_in_rating_range_and_by_category() {
  global $database_connection;

  /*
  //– Written here for reference
  $titles_by_category = array(
                                    rated_6  => array(f=>”",nf=>”",p=>”",t=>”"),
                                    rated_7  => array(f=>”",nf=>”",p=>”",t=>”"),
                                    rated_8  => array(f=>”",nf=>”",p=>”",t=>”"),
                                    rated_9  => array(f=>”",nf=>”",p=>”",t=>”"),
                                    rated_10 => array(f=>”",nf=>”",p=>”",t=>”")
                                    ); // multi-dimensional array for title ratings by category and TOTAL(t)
  */ 

//– Loop as long as $i is less than 11
  for ($i=6;$i<11;$i++) {
    $query = “SELECT COUNT(tr.titleid),fl.category FROM title_rating as tr, files_in_library as fl WHERE fl.titleid=tr.titleid AND title_rating BETWEEN ‘$i’ AND ‘$i.99′ GROUP BY fl.category”;

    if ($i == “10″) {
       $query = “SELECT COUNT(pr.publishid),pf.categoryid FROM title_rating as tr, files_in_library as fl WHERE fl.publishid=tr.publishid AND tr.rating=’10′ GROUP BY fl.categoryid”;
    } // end check for the last value of 10

    $result = mysql_query($query);

    while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {
      ($row['category'] == “F”) && ($f_count  = $row['COUNT(tr.titleid)']);
      ($row['category'] == “NF”) && ($nf_count  = $row['COUNT(tr.titleid)']);
      ($row['category'] == “P”) && ($p_count  = $row['COUNT(tr.titleid)']);

        $t_count = $f_count + $nf_count + $p_count; // get the TOTAL
        $rated_number = “rated_$i”;
        $rated_titles_by_category[$rated_number][f] = $f_count;
        $rated_titles_by_category[$rated_number][nf] = $nf_count;
        $rated_titles_by_category[$rated_number][p] = $p_count;
        $rated_titles_by_category[$rated_number][t] = $t_count;
    } // while loop

  } // end for loop

  return($titles_rated_by_category);
} // end count_number_titles_in_rating_range_and_by_category()

Notice that $i is a variable that continually rises to give me each of the MYSQL query selects needed to get the values in the database. I also use the ever increasing $i to reference the postion in the multi-dimensional array to set the correct values as they are being pulled from the data base. No if ($i == “6″) { do the titles rated 6 and above }, if ($i == “7″) { do the titles rated 7 and above}, etc etc, checking. It’s all automated. 

In 37 lines I wrote out an MYSQL query that pulls 15 different values and puts them into a multi-dimensional array that can be passed as a SINGLE object. That’s the beauty of this code.  Otherwise that last return would have looked something like this:

return(array($f_rated_6,$p_rated_6,$nf_rated_6,$t_rated_6, $f_rated_7,$p_rated_7,$nf_rated_7,$t_rated_7, $f_rated_8,$p_rated_8,$nf_rated_8,$t_rated_8, $f_rated_9,$p_rated_9,$nf_rated_9,$t_rated_9, $f_rated_10,$p_rated_10,$nf_rated_10,$t_rated_10));

And as an added bonus it only added 0.005 seconds to my overall code processing time. Statistics pages can be load heavy. So far I’m at 0.076 seconds for 62 unique statistical values pulled from the DB.

Ok. This is the geekest post ever.
PS( All tables, databases, variables and values have been modified from their original namings to protect the innocent - ie my server. Don’t be evil. Hacking is bad. M’kay.)

Thinking out loud

So my computer broke again this week. I just got it back up and running.

I don’t mind that it broke. Things break but what bugs me a little is that I have absolutely no idea why it just stopped working.

It may have been an update, a bad shutdown sequence, or a failing harddrive, I’m not sure.

Well fortunately CompUSA went out of business and I was able to purchase this software called Acronis 11 Home Edition. I put in the backup disk, booted to it and restored to a previous state. Unplugged all the harddrives but the C: drive and the program drive and was back up. This of course after a day of troubleshooting.

I spent the last couple days after work upgrading all the software and other minor windows tweaks that I realized I wanted after the first time I set my system up so in a way I suppose it works out.

I was going to play board games tonight but went and took a nap and woke up three hours later, two hours after board games started, so didn’t make it. Really just needed to get some sleep.

Big weekend ahead. Neighbors coming over to help clear some land on Sunday. Co-Worker coming over to pick up cut up and haul away straight pine longs for a raised garden project at the school that same day, and Second Saturday readings by students for most of the day on Saturday.

On an economic, daily commute message I’ve started carpooling with a co-worker. We switch of days for the week. This will help both of us save on gas. The only down side is that I have to get up at 6 am each morning to be at work at 7:30 am. But that means I get to leave at 3pm rather than 4pm. Saving the gas is good.

Well gotta run. Numbers is on.

The Daily Commute, Thinking out loud, This Land

If you don’t know, Seti has been doing research to analyze radio signals from space using a free program that runs on your computer when you aren’t using it. This distributed computing has gone global and scientists around the world are currently using the same principles using a SINGLE application to do research on many different areas of study. (Disease research (curing of course), gravity, physics, the list is fairly large.)
 
I am currently doing three projects. You can see them below. It would be great if you created an account and joined my teams. It’s great for research, it makes efficient use of your computer when it’s not being used most of the time, and the screensavers are very neat for each of the different projects - very sci-fi neato only, not sci-fi at all, real science on your computer.
 
Here are the details:
 
First you’ll need to download and install the latest Bionc client:
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php  - It’s the same client for all teams/projects so you don’t need multiple applications running. (It’s amazing when people work together on something isn’t it? 8^)
 
Once you’ve installed the client you’ll be given an opportunity to attach/add a project. Click on the project (Einstein first) create an account (use the same email and password for each account project), and follow the prompts until complete. It’ll take you to the main Bionic screen and there is a button to add another project. Do the same thing for Seti, create account, etc etc. Do the same for Rosetta, create an account, etc etc. That’s it you’re done. If you create an account with the same email and password it’ll be easier to remember, also eventually I think they will be working on a single login for all accounts and the transition will be easier for you when that happens.
 
There is a link on these pages to join these teams.
 
Here are the teams I’m running:
 
Starbase 304 Echo - team name
Einstein (Physics/Gravity studies): http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/team_display.php?teamid=3186
 
Starbase 304 Alpha - team name
Seti (Alien Contact): http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/team_display.php?teamid=41773 (There is no link on this page. I think you have to go through the Community link. I went to the community link and it says there is an option to join the team. Perhaps because I’m already a member it’s not showing the link.)
 
Starbase 304 Rosetta - team name
Rosetta (Genetics / Disease research(Aides, Cancer, etc) : http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/team_display.php?teamid=7405
 
If the links above don’t work you can easily search for the team name and there should be an option to join it through the search.
 
Let me know if there are any questions or problems with joining.
 
Thanks for joining and spread the word.
Steagus

Thinking out loud

So these two cats - Leah in the back (my youngest brother’s cat before shipping her down in a plane a couple years ago) and Kerrigan (my younger brother’s cat (of two) I picked up a year or so ago) hate each other so much the contempt is palatable.

You can literally feel the tension in the room when these two are near each other. Don’t believe me?

Here’s a picture.

Thinking out loud

As an adult you are told that if you have a house you need certain things:

A lawn mower for the yard - even if that yard can be mowed by starting the engine and pushing it forward and side to side once or twice. (Talking to you Bro. )(At least he had Zoysa.

A couch in the living room for when friends visit. *crickets*

A washer and dryer. I totally agree with this one. You need this along with the next item.

A dish washer. (No I will not engage in this joke. There may be some eligible women reading. …. No! I don’t mean women are dish… stop talking. stop talking now. Move on. Move! Get back to the story.)

But then there is an assumed - A full size refrigerator.

What if you live alone and never fill up the fridge? Isn’t that a waste of energy? Isn’t that a strain on the machine? Why a full size fridge that’s rarely filled? And in my case it’s not even a full size unit. It’s 33 1/2 wide which is the lower end size of products they put into certain houses. You know houses like mine.

On Friday I woke up and went grocery shopping for Spring break time. On Saturday water was dripping out of freezer section. So last Saturday (30Mar08) my friend and I went to SAM’s Club to see what products they had. They had one full size fridge that came with it’s own crack compartment. It was very poor construction and reminded me of the fridge in that crack house in the movie the Golden Child. Remember when Eddie looked into that blood stew on the stove and then turned to check the fridge and decided better of it.

Then I saw this really neat stainless steel dorm room fridge. It had a small icebox in the top which meant no ice. I’d have to get an ice maker or another small compact freezer. I knew they sold those but just didn’t know where.So onto Sears. I found a really good refrigerator and was getting all the pricing but they didn’t go on sale until Sunday. I was ready to buy but wanted to see that since I was here today there’s no sense coming back tomorrow couldn’t they just give me the sale price now? It was $1590 and that was including the 5 year warrenty. On Sunday it would be 200 cheaper.

They said they couldn’t. I also started thinking about how this would hit my credit card. My new credit card that is dented not by much but this would hit it hard, and that I have another card with a similar balance and I’ve been working to slowly bring that one down as well for months nearly a year. I was having second thoughts.

We left.

Went to the Maytag store - out of business
Best Buy - had a unit (on sale) but wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday and was $1200.

All these refrigerators were huge and there was no guarantee that what happened to my current one wouldn’t happen to them. We headed home.

On the road I started thinking about that small fridge. It’ll at least hold me over until I could make a more informed decision. We went back to SAM’s and I got that fridge. Set it up and it worked great. But was small and on the floor. So I would have to get a small table or wire rack for it and put it in that space. Then I’d have to get a freezer and put it on top.

It was getting late and the party had already started. Oh remember we were invited to this party and they wanted eligible men there.

Got home did some research - found a great little freezer that would fit perfectly on the top of the compact fridge I purchased. It came with free shipping and was also on sale 10% off. Still needed a table or wire rack to put these on so would look tomorrow. But the new project was starting to take on a patchwork quality. But now for the party.

Went. Not a singe woman in the place. All couples. Children. Didn’t know anyone. Ate chicken. Scared off the woman and her man at our table and they moved.(Apparently Crown is the hard stuff.) Had some cake. Drank all the Crown in my flask and we left. (Good music though. They hired a band from North Carolina to play folk blue grass and that was cool.)

Sunday - disc golf (shot an +8) Did an awesome 60 maybe 70 foot putt from around a tree. I curved the disc and it floated back into the basket. It was very cool.

Went to Lowes - not a good selection. No freezers.
Home Depot - not a goo…. hold on. What is this? It’s a mini refrigerator with freezer built in. It’s not as big as a full size unit but much more roomer than the one I have now and it comes with the freezer on top. (I had already resigned myself to ice cub trays.) Hmmm… and the price is decent - $350 and has an additional 10% off.

Hmmm… thinking as I make my way through Wal-Mart and then Target looking for fridges and stands. Just to cover all bases.

Finally get home at 2pm. I call my friend and tell him the story and he recommends I contact SAM’s to see what I need to do to take back the mini fridge I already purchased. Especially considering the box is destroyed. I call. Not a problem, Sir, just bring it in. (It’s a part of Wal-Mart after-all.)

We take back the mini, go to Home Depot and spend an hour waiting for the floor person (who was really trying and very helpful) to locate a boxed version of the mini fridge. Oh here’s the fridge on the Home Depot website.) Finally found one in the back. Got the Machine to pull it down, wheeled it out, paid for it, was just about to put it in the truck and I realized it was Blanco. Not stainless steel. Blanco is white in case you didn’t know.

So I wheel it back and check with customer service to see if they have one that was SS. Their computers said they have four more that are SS. The same guy goes back and checks and those are also white. They were entered into the computer wrong. Meanwhile I’m chatting up this cute woman at the customer service desk while she’s on hold with the other store to see if they have the stainless steel version. Things are going well and she’s laughing at my jokes and then I notice her eyes drift and hold every so slightly on my lips.

Banter stopped. “Yes, Sir.”, “No, Sir.” returned, and she suddenly got busy with something on the computer screen. I don’t blame her but still … well I don’t blame is all. I suppose I’d do the same.

Anywho back to the story… and if you think this is a long story, just imagine living this event for 48 hours and we haven’t even gotten to Monday yet.

They had one at the other store. Went there, the woman was very direct and professional and busy. The store was closing in five minutes no time for chit-chat.

Paid for it. 349.99 plus tax $375. What?! Are you sure the discount was applied? The Casher was like, I don’t know. He called over for assistance. Some manager type came over and said “Yip. See that on the screen. Means it’s on sale.” and left.Thank you for shopping at home depot the store will close in 3, 2, 1.

Got home. Set it up and the moment you have been waiting for:

 As you can see it fits.

 This is everything I had in my other fridge minus a jar or two of pickles and some soy sauce. 

So that’s the story. Oh wait. Monday.

I get up Monday morning and I’m looking at this receipt and it occurs to me that the original price of the fridge was $359.00 and the receipt reads $349.00 That’s $10.00 off not 10% off. I knew this at the store but two independant people assured me it was correct. My ever so patient friend was waiting outside in the truck and I was anxious to get home.

But this pricing doesn’t seem right. So I call. I tell the entire story. “Sir, I’ll have to transfer you.”, I repeat the story. “Hmm… you’ll have to bring the receipt into the store.”

“Really. Can’t we just do this over the phone? I mean what if it’s not wrong? Can we just check to make sure there was a mistake first before I drive 45 minutes to the store?”

“Ok. Please hold.” pause, pause, pause, “Hello can I help you?”

I repeat the story again. “Oh, sir you’ll need to come in and bring the receipt with you.”

“No stop. That’s what the last person said, and I understand that but can you confirm there is a reason to come into the store? Can I give you the receipt numbers and you make sure that the error I think happened actually did happen?”

“Ok. But you’ll ….”

“Yes, I know.”

After some number swapping.

“Oh, yeah that cashier was new and had no idea what they were doing. You can come in and we’ll straighten it out.”

“Thank you.” But first I need to get some donuts.

Kidding. First I needed to go to my friends house and help him get the garden going. My first lesson in gardening was on Monday. I’ll have an entry about that, with pictures later.

So after a full five-six hours of gardening I get home, shower (skip the shave), and head out to Home Depot.

At the store it took five minutes and I saved $40 dollars. Total cost of the new fridge on my card: $337.66

I saved $1252.34 dollars.

Math is fun.

The money trail:

Sam’s purchase on credit card.
Sam’s refund back onto same card the next day.

Home Depot 1 purchase on credit card.
Home Depot 1 refund back onto same card within 30 minutes of purchase.

Home Depot 2 purchase on credit card 30 minutes after refund from Home Depot 1.

Home Depot 2 refund back onto same card next day.
Home Depot 2 purchase on credit card 1 minute after refund of purchase.

Cost of fridge to operate per year: $32

The Credit Trap, Thinking out loud