mdlbear | Done yesterday (20110826 Fr) (Reply)

0826 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=198; drugs, nose, teeth, dishes, laundry, exercise
  @ dmmaus: Origami notes
  @ Study shows powerful corporations really do control the world's
    finances (wcg)
  @ NYC.gov Goes Down When We Need It Most: Here Are Some Alternative Info
    Sources | TechCrunch 
  @ Climate Change May Not Cause Hurricanes, But It Can Make Them Much
    Stronger : TreeHugger 
  @ Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo @vixy
  : work:  Cool!  (ME) Rich Dr. Pepper-testing our tablet.  Yes, it's spill
    resistant. 
  * 3-mile walk by airport.
  & Just had an interesting conversation about whether a correct
    implementation of a poorly-thought-out requirement is a bug.  I claim it
    is.  Brian claims it isn't.
  * Pick up van.  $693, including $82 for the wiper blades.  Their own
    estimate, attached, came to $614 ($45 for the wiper blades).  But they
    didn't give me that until after I'd paid.  NOT HAPPY.
    -> The overage came from replacing the wiring harness, to the tune of $73
       plus tax, rather than simply fixing the connector.  Still not happy.
  * buy: better plastic serving spoons (we have Calphalon now) (Zanotto's,
    along with salad fixings, apples, and broccoli)
  @ Consumer's Guide To Automotive Repair In California 
  @ The New Apostolic Reformation: The Evangelicals Engaged In Spiritual
    Warfare : NPR (catsittingstill) 
  * 15min: lowered coathook that holds my shoulder-bag.  Now basically
    shoulder-height, and (barely) reachable from my chair.
  @ HP TouchPads Slated For Return To Best Buy? | TechCrunch 
  * washed the worst of the bedding:  Colleen's sheet and the bottom quilt 
  * bed 11:30ish

Not the greatest of days. Work on the van came to $100 over their original estimate. While I can forgive them for the wiring harness that didn't get factored in, I am *not* going to forgive them for the fact that replacing the wiper blades cost double their original, computer-generated estimate. And of course nobody called me for authorization on either of them. The latest estimate I got and authorized was for $614.

10:03 ETA: Ford cheerfully refunded the difference. I am satisfied.

In other news, Irene is ripping up the East Coast -- be safe out there, ok? Welcome to global warming. NYC.gov Goes Down When We Need It Most: Here Are Some Alternative Info Sources | TechCrunch

Work was mixed: I got a fair amount of coding done, and some nice conversations, but one not-so-nice conversation about whether a design requirement with unexpected bad consequences constituted a bug. Sorry, "We just implemented the spec we were given" doesn't get you out of having to think about whether the spec might have been wrong to begin with, or whether customers are going to run into the same problem I did.

I did a fair amount of puttering, in addition to the usual dishes and three loads of laundry (two loads is more usual).

Some links in the notes; the most important has already been mentioned above.