System i Addict

I am 36 years old. I served in the Navy and handled guns and bad guys. In theory I should not be afraid of much, or so you think. Of course you can comment on being in the Navy being a tough guy. I can take it.

After my grandfather died my Grandmother, Martha, lived by herself for what I think was another 15+ years before she died from complications from Alzheimer’s. That was some 10 years ago, but let me get to the point.

My wife and son have been out of town for 2 weeks and left me home with the dog, Peaches, who if you have met Peaches the Bulldog, she is no watch dog. I have been keeping myself busy at night reading or watching Top Gear, but I don’t like going to sleep. I am still in a new house and it still makes noises that at times wake me up. I am not going to lie to you, on top of the house being pretty empty, and the fact that crime is on the rise in Charlotte I am scared stiff to go to bed, and it hip me this week that this is why my grandmother never slept.

You could go by the house at anytime after mid-night and she would be up. Once while I in the Navy stationed in Japan I called her in the middle of the night by accident and she was up cleaning. It was sad really but I never understood it until this week. She was lonely and scared. So to wrap this up if you have a grandparent who is left alone, go visit them so they can get some sleep.

“Theoretically, there is nothing that can stop the government from taxing 100% of income so long as the people get benefits from the government commensurate with their income which is taxed,” Obama Sr. wrote. “I do not see why the government cannot tax those who have more and syphon some of these revenues into savings which can be utilized in investment for future development.” -Obama

Link to Story

I don’t think I need to comment on that. I think the obvious is that no on wants to be taxed at 100% and we would revolt if they tried it, but the fact that Obama thinks it’s OK is just scary to me.

“Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Bourdais has found himself outperformed by team mate Sebastian Vettel at recent races. Bourdais, however, believes he is gradually getting a grip on the main cause - the mismatch between his driving style, and the handling characteristics of the team’s car.

Bourdais made a strong start to his rookie campaign, scoring at the season opener in Australia, but ever since the introduction of Toro Rosso’s new STR3 machine at May’s Monaco Grand Prix, the four-time Champ Car champion has struggled to match Vettel.” F1.com

I would disagree with Mr. Boudias. He is a marginal driver who from some reason continues to get rides from big sponsors. He is taking up a seat in a car that someone with actual talent could be using to get better. I realize that someone has to be at the bottom of F1, not everyone and be P1, but the truth of the matter is he stunk here in the US driving Champ Car and now he somehow worked his way into F1 and is still bad, and consistently bad.

““I somewhat regret the time I’ve spent over these last few weeks looking for grand ideas on how to adapt the car to my driving style,” he said. “Now I am concentrating on a few details, I’m taking small steps, and it seems to be paying off. But it’s still complicated. That’s just how it is… ”” F1.com

He used the same excuses in the states when he ran and then you ask how did he win the Championship then smarty pants? A couple of things happen, Paul Tracy who is a talented driver made mistakes and while I don’t think Paul could run in F1 either he does not try to. F1 and Champ Car are very different. The tracks are not the same, the cars are worlds apart and drivers who move from Champ or Indy to F1 don’t do so well.

Plus I think Champ car the years Mr. Boudais won were just years when everyone else was starved for money and parts. So many of the teams in Champ Car didn’t have sponsors willing to pay big money because they got no return. Again like in Karting if you have more money you win and beat those with less money. I think his Champ Car wins came from equally spend wads of cash. He was on the most well sponsored team in the league.

Lastly Mr. Boudias is a smug and always has his nose in the air kind of jerk. I am not going to lump him in and call him French, because that would be rude to the French. He does not like his fans, he does not like people. He does not interview well. None of the others drivers are “tight” with him and his just looks the part of a prick.

Maybe next year they will find a driver that can drive, not make excuses and let Mr. Boudais come run NASCAR where you only have to turn left, mostly. That would be fitting.

Link to Story on F1.com

NOTE: If you are going to post comments about the blog and such, make sure you are a real person, not some hack whiner behind a bogus email with a fake name, Race Fan! More like Coward! Oh and if you don’t like what I am saying make sure you actually have the “******” to post who you really are and not some fake name and bogus email address. How pathetic, oh and you and my 9th grade English teach now both know I can’t write….what a surprise!

Thought I would share:

To power businesses and consumers with mobile Web computing capabilities, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it has expanded its relationship with AT&T, Inc (NYSE:T),  Sprint (NYSE:S), and other wireless carriers to provide broader e-mail access  to their customers who use IBM Lotus Notes and Domino software on their hand-held devices.

AT&T and Sprint have certified for use by their customers, IBM’s Lotus Notes Traveler software which enables wireless replication of Lotus Notes e-mail, calendaring, and personal information management (PIM) data on select smartphones.

IBM’s Lotus Notes Traveler software can be loaded with all of the set up information pre-configured. This means it is now “wireless replication-ready” as soon as the customer starts using his new device.  Standard data usage charges apply.

The devices from AT&T that have this capability are the AT&T 8525, AT&T Tilt, Moto Q Global, Palm Treo 750, PantechDuo (Mustang C810), Samsung Blackjack, and Samsung Blackjack II (i617). The devices from Sprint to include it are the Touch by HTC™, Samsung ACETM, Palm® Treo™ 700wx and Palm® Treo™ 800w.  There are more than 140 million Lotus Notes and Domino licensed users worldwide.

IBM Embedded Software Gives AT&T and Sprint Customers Access to Lotus E-mail

I am tried of people having to apologize to China for noticing their horrible problem with pollution. Every American should have gotten off the plane with a mask on. The pictures are pathetic, and I don’t see me watching any of the Olympics, not because of Tibet or China being communist, but because we are all getting blamed for the lie that is “Global Warming” yet now one is holding China responsible for their contribution and we now can see it from the pictures.

Link to Article

See I made you look didn’t I?

So McCain is at the Sturgis bike rally this week connecting with the “heart of America”, and getting bikers on his side. I have to wonder about this move, but hey I am not running his campaign. All seemed to go really well until he annouced that “I told her [that] with a little luck, she could be the only woman to serve as both the First Lady and Miss Buffalo Chip.”

Whoaaaaa John…..while we all may not admit it, but most guys like to see the female body, it’s a thing of beauty, but I don’t think it’s going to help you win the White House dear boy!

What happened to a time when politicians were about making great speaches and promises they could not keep?

Link to Article

I just recently purchased an Xbox360. I know , I know. I am not supposed to like Microsoft, problem is the XBox is more popular than the Sony PS3, and is far cheaper. I struggled with the decision I assure you. Enough of that.

I have always liked and played the GTA games. I think they are some of the best games out there and the game play is so large and exciting they just keep you engaged for hours. It’s not so much the violence and the other aspects of the game, rather the enormous maps, and detail of the game that excite me. GTA IV is no exception. The detail is unreal and the part that jars you the most is the language and utter lack of restraint int he game. They let loose and shock you at every turn. Even the radio stations in the cars are offensive and I love it.

The newest feature is multi-player or online play. This is new with the GTA IV version. Before it was a one man effort and you played alone, but now you can jump on-line and play with your buddies. I assumed this would be fun and would only make the game even better and while the on-line play is incredible there is a problem.

While playing on-line the other night for the second time, there were kids, 8, 10, and 12 on the game, and they were cursing up a storm. I spent a few years in the Navy with sailors who are notorious with foul language and these kids could have put some of them to shame. I could not take it and finally asked if they would stop all the foul language in that you don’t need it to make a point and who on earth purchased the game for them because proudly displayed on the box is MATURE +17. Clearly none of them was 17 and one kid gave me the excuse that he plays it to that he can translate it to his Dad because his Dad only speaks Spanish. You have got to be kidding me?

Where are the adults in our society? Where are the parents who should know better then to purchase this game for their kids? Would you run out to the porn store and get you kid the latest movie because you want them to translate it to Spanish for you? Why do parents think that letting a 10 year old play GTA IV on-line and cursing like there is not tomorrow is a good thing. If you have purchased your kids GTA IV, I implore you to remove it from their grasp, and then go get some help to be a parent. We all have flaws and I know that, but you have to grow up sometime and this is just common sense. It’s an adult game for adults not kids. I don’t care what side of the political spectrum you are on giving kids a game meant for adults is child abuse and I think you should be thrown into jail.

Let me also be clear, adults have every right to own the game and Rockstar games has every right to make the  game and sell it. I love the game and when GTA V comes out I will be there to buy it I assure you, but not for my son, he will have to wait until he is over the age of +17, and if it were me I would just go ahead and make it +18 to be consistent.

I give you this. While the Pledge or Allegiance is being said Obama who has always refused to cover his heart with his right hand, also is not saying anything. This is not an American, much less a President. I find this insulting and pathetic.

For all of you Obama supporters, he didn’t go to the EU because he needed to, he thought it would help you all think more of him because the EU thinks more of him and which most of those places, in fact all of those places are Socialist Left countries where Obama’s views are considered more towards the middle-left. We do not need a socialist leftist running the country.

Link to Article

Spurred by an e-mail from someone deep in the marketing ranks, Microsoft last week traveled to San Francisco, rounding up Windows XP users who had negative impressions of Vista. The subjects were put on video, asked about their Vista impressions, and then shown a “new” operating system, code-named Mojave. More than 90 percent gave positive feedback on what they saw. Then they were told that “Mojave” was actually Windows Vista.

I have someone in my list of people I trust asking me if I know anyone in or around Denver or Salt Lake that is looking for a Job being a Senior System i Admin for a Bank in the Rocky Mountains, they run JackHenry’s software and you are going to need to move to the Colorado.

Oh and one last thing, they are a Lotus Notes shop so if you read this blog and are a fan of Lotus then I think you will be happy, you will have to convince them to run it on IBM i but knowing how stable the IBM i is you can help them out, they run Lotus Domino on Windows right now…

If you want to be considered I have the inside track to the IT team, send me your resume and I will forward it on and get you some exposure.

-David

david dot vasta at gmail dot com

Link to post

earn these 10 tricks and you’ll be the most powerful Linux® systems administrator in the universe…well, maybe not the universe, but you will need these tips to play in the big leagues. Learn about SSH tunnels, VNC, password recovery, console spying, and more. Examples accompany each trick, so you can duplicate them on your own systems.

I like this post…..it warms my heart!

Wanted to post this for ya’ll

Link to Hype: The Obama Effect

I am not fair and balanced. I will openly tell you I don’t like Mr. Obama. He is the worst kind of person and should not be considered for president, in the same breath Mr. McCain is also very hard to deal with as well.

Obama did not grow up in this country, he hates far to many people and has done nothing to get the job he is asking us all to put him up for. He is a chump and a good speaker who thinks horrible racist things, and is not for unification or anyone. He did not do it in Chicago and has not done it in the US Senate so why the heck are all of you thinking he can do it in the oval office? You all have been duped to think he is a good person, you need to read about what he has really done with his time in one of the most politically currupt cities in the US.

Sadly the America my great grandfather knew, where you work hard and you succeed is now a thing of the past, I work hard get taxed and it’s not enough, so they want more and if we follow Obamas lead we get a dummy for president who is going to tax and spend until we all are poor and broke, and that’s what Soviet Russia did in the 60s & 70s and we all see what it got them. Nothing but hard times. Socialism is not responsiblism.

If you want to live in a nanny state move to the UK, Belgium, Netherlands or some other place where the taxes are well over 50% of your pay, and everyone is mostly broke and struggling while the rich will remain rich…..but please leave America to the hard working entrepreneurs and not the liberal left and Hollywood elites.

Presidental Election years always make me sick, politics is like dealing with thugs and criminals and in the end we get nothing for what we get taxed for. Where is Ross Perot with his charts and graphs when you need him?

We have started a little get together here in Charlotte of geeks, call Lunch Time Geeks. If you are in the South Carlotte/Rock Hill area drop me a line we would love to have you.

Well we were all talking about the Lotus bloggers out there and I asked who read Volker’s post, and most did, then someone said when does he have time to work is he is always surfing for information and posting it? Is that not a full time job?

So I am posting it here in hopes we could shed some light on the topic. It’s not all about Volker though, when do you have time to post? How much time to you dedicate a week or day? Is it something you like doing or you do becasue you are in the biz and it helps create revenue?

-David

Becasue it’s important!

Link to Article Link to Medal Of Honor Web Site

Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy, distinguished himself through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Combat Advisor and Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 29 September 2006.  He displayed great personal courage and exceptional bravery while conducting operations in enemy held territory at Ar Ramadi Iraq.

During Operation Kentucky Jumper, a combined Coalition battalion clearance and isolation operation in southern Ar Ramadi, he served as automatic weapons gunner in a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army (IA) sniper overwatch element positioned on a residential rooftop in a violent sector and historical stronghold for insurgents.  In the morning, his team observed four enemy fighters armed with AK-47s reconnoitering from roads in the sector to conduct follow-on attacks.  SEAL snipers from his roof engaged two of them which resulted in one enemy wounded in action and one enemy killed in action.  A mutually supporting SEAL/IA position also killed an enemy fighter during the morning hours. After the engagements, the local populace blocked off the roads in the area with rocks to keep civilians away and to warn insurgents of the presence of his Coalition sniper element.  Additionally, a nearby mosque called insurgents to arms to fight Coalition Forces.

In the early afternoon, enemy fighters attacked his position with automatic weapons fire from a moving vehicle.  The SEALs fired back and stood their ground.  Shortly thereafter, an enemy fighter shot a rocket-propelled grenade at his building.  Though well-acquainted with enemy tactics in Ar Ramadi, and keenly aware that the enemy would continue to attack, the SEALs remained on the battlefield in order to carry out the mission of guarding the western flank of the main effort.

Due to expected enemy action, the officer in charge repositioned him with his automatic heavy machine gun in the direction of the enemy’s most likely avenue of approach.  He placed him in a small, confined sniper hide-sight between two SEAL snipers on an outcropping of the roof, which allowed the three SEALs maximum coverage of the area.  He was located closest to the egress route out of the sniper hide-sight watching for enemy activity through a tactical periscope over the parapet wall. While vigilantly watching for enemy activity, an enemy fighter hurled a hand grenade onto the roof from an unseen location.  The grenade hit him in the chest and bounced onto the deck. He immediately leapt to his feet and yelled “grenade” to alert his teammates of impending danger, but they could not evacuate the sniper hide-sight in time to escape harm.  Without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life, he threw himself onto the grenade, smothering it to protect his teammates who were lying in close proximity.  The grenade detonated as he came down on top of it, mortally wounding him.

Link to Web Site JapanesePod101.com

I lived in Japan from 1993 - 1995. Not really that much time and since I was a child I can remember being fascinated with Japan and their culture. I still am today. I think the language is a huge part of that culture and history and I try to learn a little bit every now and again. I would love to have more time but it’s not possible.

I did find this Podcast and site to be really helpful and if you are going to go live in Japan I think it’s essential. I would encourage anyone who is visiting even for a holiday to try to learn as much as possible as it will only make your visit that much better.

If you are in the military like I was you need to learn too. It will make your daily interaction with local contractors and other people on base and off base richer and exciting.

Thanks and sayonara!

So my Volvo S60R is in the shop getting a computer looked at. No big deal, just one of those things. It’s the computer that takes care of the Active Suspension. In my S60R I have three settings for my ride type, COMFORT, STIFF, and RACING or Advanced. I can’t recall the actual names but they go from soft to tight with little to no body roll. Oh well the computer is broken so Volvo is fixing it under warranty.

They gave me a 2008 Volvo C30 to drive. I actually asked for it because I like to drive something different when I can. They always try to put you in a model either the same as the one you own or higher, but I wanted to see what the C30 was all about.

From the outside the C30 looks like a Volvo, and has the very distinctive Volvo lines. It’s nose is Volvo, and it has the Volvo hips on it that make it look very Volvo. I like the Volvo body style so the outside is a winner for me. It looks very exciting and very Volvo. The front bumper is very sporty looking and has an aggressive look to it. The rear is a bit odd but it works as a hatch back. I would have liked to have more room to slide in wider objects but over all it’s good.

The rims on this I think are 17″ and are really nice looking as well. The tires are decent with just the right amount of rubber so that you don’t ding you rims on every pot hole in town.

I lifted the hood, or bonnet for you brits, and the 5 cylinder engine with a the turbo looks very well placed. There is room around in there for some bit of performance kit and I know when Volvo was making this they were hoping to capture a bit of the tuner market.

The transmission is a auto with the auto-shift 5 speed and like all Volvo’s the shifting is slow. I will talk about that in a bit.

Once you get inside you start to wonder if Volvo built this or Ford. My S60R is well built and feels tight inside. The interior of my S60 is very well done, but the C30 is plastic, and way to much of it. Everything is plastic and I would expect this in a Ford Focus, but not a C30. Volvo is putting this up against VW’s and BMWs not the Focus, so why did they go cheap on the inside, the one place you will spend the majority of your time. I would rather the seat been in with the engine because that area looked nicer and better built. Oh well.

The seats are comfortable, but they are not Volvo seats. Volvo seats in other Volvo’s are really comfortable. Really huggy and make you want to drive more. The C30 seats are boring and kind of plain. They don’t hug you and they don’t make you want to stay in the car longer, they make you want to find a parking space as fast as you can or return home.

The instruments are also very Volvo and easy to read. I like the fact that Volvo made the gauges right and they work. I like that. They are very easy to read and have all of the bits you expect  from a Volvo in the gauges.

The radio is a nice unit. Volvo has done the thin center console thing they have been doing to all the new Volvo’s so it looks high tech and new age. I like that. The radio sounds great and is very easy to operate, there is even a place to plug in an MP3 player, CD player, or 8-track player, your choice . The only down side is you need someone to operate the player since the plug for it is under the drivers right arm in the center console.

The A/C is right below the radio right where any Volvo owner would expect to find it and it works just like every other Volvo on the market. The only issue is that because the entire interior is made by lego plastics it sounds like hell. No it really does, while It is very cold, I have to wonder what they could not have made it a little less noisy.  If you have it off and have the radio at a reasonable level listening to Ira Glass on NPR and you turn on the A/C you have to crank up the radio to hear it. I like being cold but I also like to be able to listen and think while it’s on. I could not wait for the car to cool so that I could turn it down.

The engine, the engine….where to start. I love the engine. It’s just the right size for the car. I love the power an I love it that it’s turbo. There is a bit of lag but it’s not in the way of going. I don’t like the auto-trans, and like all Volvos with auto-trans when you put it over and decide you want to be a little sporty and shift when you like you get a hammer to the head becasue the auto shifting on the Volvos is just poor and I think Volvo knows the shifting is bad but in the past 6 years has done nothing to make it faster. There is an unreasonable amount of time from when you request the shift to when it actually does. This is the one place and the one point where I would dump Volvo on it’s head. I have had auto-shift trans before and they are resonable with the shifting. Porsche seems to do them pretty fast, Audi is quick, other lesser car companies I expect it from, but Volvo needs to re-engineer this auto-gear shifting problem. It’s just pathetic, and I am sure there is an engineer in Sweden who would love to explain why and I don’t care, you all need to fix it and fix it now.

The ride quality is not bad. I like a car that is a little stiff and lets you feel the road, I just don’t want to hear the road. I am ashamed to say, but I owned a Kia Spectra at one time, and it was a noisy road car. The Volvo C30 is not that bad but it’s noticeable and that is bad. Volvos are comfortable and supposed to be quiet so that you and the family can talk and be happy, well in the C30 that is not going to happen and with the A/C on it gets worse.

Overall I like the C30, I like the performance and I like the ride and feel of the car. I don’t like the noise levels from the A/C and the road. I could also use a little more comfort and a little more Volvo in my Volvo. I think they missed the mark and need to try harder and make it soon. Maybe the 2009 is going to be better and maybe they know all of this and are addressing it now. For the price I think you would be better moving up to a Volvo S40 or and Audi A3. The Volvo is pretty to look at but falls short when it comes to comfort.

This is what I think Volvo wanted when they created this car. For it to be a platform for the Tuners. EVOLVE has taken it seriously and made this. I love it and wished I was 18 all over again. I would get one in  a heart beat and tune it to no end.

I don’t think it take a rocket scientist to know I don’t like Obama, at the same time I don’t like McCain either. They are both too hard to listen to. I don’t think either one has ever read the constitution or really cares about less taxes and less government.  But I had to post this:

Link to Article :Would You Hire a President Who Padded His Resume?

NO!