Xingu Black Beer.

EXPLORE THE HEART OF DARKNESS

An opaque, full-bodied black lager with mild bitterness. Extravagant treacle and anise aromas. Rich and creamy, well balanced sweet notes and hints of tartness with exceptional mouthfeel, in two words: Black Silk. Imported from Exotic Brazil.

Last year I adopted a turkey. I won't be making that mistake again. My $20 not only got me a photo of the turkey I was sponsoring, but also a non-refundable, one-way ticket to animal charity solicitation hell. Now not a week goes by -- sometimes not even two days go by -- without my being greeted by a furry or feathered face asking me for money. Hey folks at Noah's Ark Search: Did you try looking in my mailbox?

At the beginning of this year, when the solicitations were just a mere trickle rather than the torrent they have become, I knew right away that Farm Sanctuary sold me out. The bastards. No good deed goes unpunished.... And, yes, I should have read the privacy policy first. But in my defense, other charities and non-profit organizations haven't sold me out: I give to Red Cross regularly and don't suddenly find myself hearing from UNICEF or the Salvation Army. I give to NHPR regularly but don't get harassed by PBS as a result. EFF hasn't told the ACLU where to find me....

I opted out with Farm Sanctuary immediately, but by then it was too late. My name and address were sold. And the people to whom they were sold apparently turned around and sold my info to some other folks who turned around and sold it to still more folks, and so on and so on and so on. The number of charitable giving lists containing your name thus grows exponentially. Therefore, if you're thinking about supporting an organization, learn from my mistake and read the privacy policy first. I know I will before giving any money in the future. And if an organization's privacy policy requires one to "opt out," I won't bother; instead, I simply won't give to that organization.

As for all of you organizations out there who are currently hitting me up for money (from this week, that would be PETA, NAVS, and WAO), it might interest you to know that I never, ever give money in response to being solicited. And when an organization with which I have no relation/affiliation (again PETA, NAVS, and WAO) hits me up, I make a note to add that organization to my personal Do Not Give list.

In the better-late-than-never department, we have a fitting illustration to accompany Jeff Jarvis' Dell Hell.

David Lazarus reports that AT&T updated their ironically named "privacy policy" to include statements regarding:

1. who owns the personal information of its customers (hint: It's not the customers.)
2. what they will do with respect to video content viewed by its customers (hint: You better be watching wholesome stuff!)

The former didn't surprise me, but the latter did. Lazarus explains:

The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 stipulates that cable and satellite companies can't collect or disclose information about customers' viewing habits.

The law is silent on video services offered by phone companies via the Internet, basically because legislators never anticipated such technology would be available.

AT&T's Britton said the 1984 law doesn't apply to his company's video service because AT&T isn't a cable provider. "We are not building a cable TV network," he said. "We're building an Internet protocol television network."

Way to exploit a loophole.... Now the question is, what will the cable and satellite providers do: Try to get the law changed to prevent the AT&Ts of the world from tracking viewing habits, or try to get the law changed so that they can track customers too?

Via Boing Boing.

In need of a quick nukable lunch? Try Trader Joe's Organic Vegetarian Chili with red beans and tofu. This would go really good with Fritos....

The one thing I find lacking about Trader Joe's is online product information. I want to be able to browse, obtain a list of ingredients, and so on. I would also like to be able to include a link to a product that I blog about so that all of you lazy vegetarians can do the same thing. I knew I wouldn't be able to find the information I want at the TJ's site, but I figured that surely someone else blogged about this chili because it is quite good. It turns out that CapeMom did -- with the help of several Barbie dolls. It's a strange entry, but I may simply be jealous that CapeMom has a gimmick and I don't. (Note to self: Get gimmick).

The other site I found was Trader Joe's Fan. There you can participate in forums, rate products, search for recipes, and even add your own favorites. It's chocked full of customer evangelist goodness.

Wow, I haven't blogged in a week! It's amazing how fast time flies, and it seems to get even faster with each passing year. I do, however, find solace in the fact that my memory seems to be deteriorating at an equally rapid pace: When I reach the point of years whizzing by in the blink of an eye, I won't have the cognitive ability to notice, let alone care.

So where have I been? Preparing for the first face-to-face session of the distance ed class I teach every summer -- and then recovering. As a single, tech-embracing, telecommuter living in New England, I regularly go a full day without actually talking to another human being -- other than perhaps to thank a sales clerk for his/her assistance. Thus, two solid days of being on my feet and using my vocal cords nearly non-stop was a shock to my geeky system. Fortunately, this year's group seems to be the best yet: They don't whine and complain like I've grown to expect. Now if I could just get them to read and follow directions....

Other than that -- and a great evening of canoeing yesterday -- I've been playing with Windows Vista. "Playing" isn't quite the right word -- at least it wasn't at first. "Schoolyard brawl" is perhaps more apt. In the end, the 64-bit version had to go (*sigh*) due to a complete and utter lack of drivers. The 32-bit version is far more accommodating, though the occasional shoving match still ensues. At least now I can do what really matters:

run Windows Media Center on a PC that I built rather than having to fork over the dough to buy a dedicated media center box. It almost makes the fact that I cannot currently synchronize my calendar, contacts, and email with my PocketPC bearable. Almost.

You have GOT to be kidding me....

Coffee

• wakes you up in the morning
• brings people together
• smells good
• tastes great with dessert
• provides an excuse to take a break
• is the ideal substance in which to dunk your doughnut
• contributes significantly to the economy of Latin America

and, drum roll please:

• protects the liver against damage from cirrhosis

I kid you not:

Researchers reported on Monday that drinking coffee cuts the risk of cirrhosis of the liver from alcohol -- by 22 percent per cup each day....

Dang, I drink a pot of coffee a day! My liver must therefore be invincible!

...Other studies with similar findings have led to speculation that caffeine could play a role. However, the protective effect was not found among tea drinkers....

Is there anything coffee cannot do?

The ACLU is hosting a live webcast on the NSA spying issue.

This evening, Sunday, June 11 at 7 PM ET (4PM PT), go to:

www.aclu.org/presidentialpower

Watch a live webcast of our third Town Hall meeting on Spying, Secrecy and Presidential Power. During the event, web viewers can submit their questions for the expert panel.

Panelists will include:

• John W. Dean, former White House Counsel
• Ann Beeson, ACLU Associate Legal Director
• James Bamford, spying expert and ACLU v. NSA plaintiff
• Nazih Hassan, CAIR-MI, ACLU v. NSA plaintiff

This live event comes on the eve of arguments in our landmark NSA lawsuit, the first ever hearing before a federal court on the president's illegal spying program.

Via Bring it On!.

UPDATE: The archive of the webcast is now available on the ACLU site.

This was just too good to leave buried in the comments:

You know, we in NH have over 40 different words for rain. All of them unprintable.

Thanks for the laugh, TJ!

Seems like the sun has come out. Yea! I should revert to my lovely late spring banner, but I fear that might jinx us.

The first (annual?) NH Blog-Con now has a time and a location! If you are a New Hampshire blogger, mark your calendars for Saturday, October 14th at 4:00 PM. We'll be meeting at The Common Man in Concord.

If you haven't already been doing so, be sure to periodically check TJ's New Hampshire Blog-Con page for details and general discussion.

Blog free or die!

Last week I had a couple of follow-up CAT scans. The results just came in. The good news is that the granuloma and adenoma are both stable. Yea!! The somewhat disappointing news is that adenoma hasn't shrunk, which I had gathered it should do. Oh well, like I told the nurse, I suppose I don't mind them being there if they stay put and stay quiet.

Two more CAT scans in 6 months....

Last night I blogged about Outlook 2007's apparent decision to phone home with my name. This morning I had a comment from Microsoft's Ben Canning and have been emailing back and forth ever since with Ben and several of his colleagues who clearly want to get to the bottom of this. These individuals seem to value my privacy and security as much as I do. And they seem to take their (company's) responsibility to protect my information quite seriously. That means a lot to me. Thanks guys! And thanks Microsoft!

I use ZoneAlarm Security Suite which includes a privacy feature called ID Lock. One of the things I keep in "myVAULT" is my name. That way, if any software tries to transmit my name without my permission via IM or the web, I get an alert. An alert that happens to look a lot like this:

As you can see here, Outlook has apparently decided to take my name and "phone home" with it. sqm.msn.com redirects you to the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program. When I agreed to participate in the CEIP, it was with the understanding provided to me by Microsoft in the Service Options dialog:

Customer Experience Improvement Program

We invite you to join our Customer Experience Improvement Program to improve the quality, reliability, and performance of Microsoft software and services.

If you accept, we will collect anonymous information about your hardware configuration and how you use our software and services to identify trends and usage patterns. We will also periodically download a small file to your computer that enables us to collect information about specific errors you encountered while using Microsoft software. When available, new help information about the errors will also be automatically downloaded.

We will not collect your name, address, or any other personally identifiable information. There are no surveys to complete, no salesperson will call, and you can continue working without interruption. It is simple, user-friendly, and completely anonymous. You can leave this program at any time by clicking Help | Customer Feedback Options to return to this dialog.

My emphasis added.

Similar information can be found in the privacy statement available on the CEIP site (the one that Outlook is trying to phone home to):

[...]
CEIP reports do not contain any contact information about you (such as your name, address, or phone number).
[...]

So Microsoft: What's going on here? In the meantime, I just opted out.

What to Do

• Go to Hell
• Get married (if you are ethnic Chinese and happen to live in Malaysia)
• See a movie
• Have a 24-hour prayer marathon
• See a shrink about your hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
• Place your bets!
• Stock up on evil stuff from Archie McPhee
• Listen to Slayer
• Make a new banner for your blog.

What NOT to Do

• Give birth
• Get implanted with RFID chips
• Make any long term plans

To Learn More

• Wikipedia: Number of the Beast
• NHPR's Exchange: The Significance of 6-6-6

To Make Fun

• Listen to Hometown Tales Podcast #90
• Visit Uncyclopedia. If you visit today, you'll find the main page chocked full of evil goodness. Tomorrow you probably won't.

Contrary to popular belief, there is indeed such a thing as a stupid question -- and an excellent chance that one will come out of my mouth at any given moment. Look, here comes one now!

While writing my last entry, I noticed that both Cabot Cheeses and Fantastic Foods' Taco Filling are certified Kosher. It crossed my mind that according to Jewish dietary law, you must keep meat and dairy products separate. On the one hand, Fantastic Foods' Taco Filling is not meat; it's soy. Therefore, presumably a Kosher Jew could eat the tacos I described. On the other hand, Fantasic Foods' Taco Filling is pseudo meat. It looks like ground beef. And while I haven't eaten meat in over 10 years, it tastes like ground beef as best as I can recall. In other words, symbolically, it is meat. Which brings me to my stupid question: Are the aforementioned tacos Kosher or not? In other words, are Jewish dietary laws literal (meat is meat; fake meat is not) or symbolic (fake meat is meat)?

(And, no, I'm not Jewish, nor do I know anyone who is Kosher. I'm just curious.)

As a lazy vegetarian with a fondness for Mexican food, I have been on a quest for the ingredients for the perfect fake-beef taco. The quest is over. You will need:

• The taco shells of your choice
• Fantastic Foods Taco Filling, which may be my all-time favorite fake meat
• The cheese of your choice. I recommend Cabot's Hot Habanero Cheddar (All Cabot cheeses use vegetable rennet and are thus safe for non-vegan vegetarians)
• Tomatoes
• The hot sauce of your choice. Might I suggest Goya's Jalapeño Salsita?

Voilà! Instant meal for even the laziest of vegetarians!

I'm afraid this installment of What to Drink is non-alcoholic, but don't let that discourage you because I've got some tasty stuff for you to try: Bolthouse Farms' Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai with Soy Protein and the new Mocha Cappuccino with Whey Protein. I know what you're thinking: Those sound like health drinks. They are healthy, but they're also quite good. Their Vedge juice is also worth a try.

This morning I have been checking out Outlook 2007's RSS support. Overall it's quite nice. However, I do not see any way to subscribe to secure/password-protected feeds such as FeedBurner's FeedBulletin and the Recent Changes feed of my company's wiki. I also don't see any information about this in Outlook 2007's help, but I did find confirmation of this issue at Moonwatcher.

Being able to subscribe to secure feeds is a basic feature that needs to be added if I am going to start using Outlook as my preferred aggregator.

Today I downloaded Office 2007 public beta 2. As someone who has been using Microsoft Office for over 10 years, I find the new interface somewhat disorienting. But other than that, it has been smooth sailing.

As I was poking around in Word, I stumbled across the option to make a new blog entry. "Very interesting" thought I. Within a minute, I had successfully introduced Word to my blog. So far so good. Now what remains to be seen is what will happen when I attempt to publish this entry.

In order for me to use Word as my blogging tool, it will need to do the following:

1. Work (duh! )
2. Generate a post that validates as XHTML 1.0 strict
3. Generate a post that does not require significant editing after I post it
4. Allow me to assign categories -- a known issue for "custom accounts"
5. Allow me to assign tags

If it does the above, then I can see myself switching to Word -- or more likely OneNote, which theoretically has this support as well.

Well, with no further ado, time to publish.

UPDATE: This entry was successfully published and validated as XHTML 1.0 strict. I had to use Nucleus to edit the category and add tags. Now I am trying Word's editing feature to write this update. If you are reading this, then editing entries in Word 2007 works.

UPDATE 2: I was able to successfully update this entry in Word 2007. But in the process of doing so, it nuked the tags I had just added. Grrrrrrr. Still, it's not bad for a new (and not yet fully-developed) feature.

UPDATE 3: Oops! When you edit a post that contains an ordered list, it gets published as an unordered list.

UPDATE 4: I just noticed that comments are disabled by default when you post through Word 2007. I would like to be able to change that so that items I write in Word have comments enabled without my having to edit the entry in Nucleus.

WMUR is running a telethon to help residents impacted by the recent flooding. You can donate by calling 628-7634 or going to the Disaster Recovery Fund page on the state's web site. Let's help our neighbors out!

Last month, J. James Estrada made the snarky suggestion that all of the flooding we had up here lately -- flooding that damaged and in some cases destroyed the homes of good, honest folks -- was divine retribution for being the birthplace of Dan Brown. I wonder, then, what he would have to say about this:

Worried about the safety of her family during a stormy Memorial Day trip to the beach, Clara Jean Brown stood in her kitchen and prayed for their safe return as a strong thunderstorm rumbled through Baldwin County, Alabama.

But while she prayed, lightning suddenly exploded, blowing through the linoleum and leaving a blackened area on the concrete. Brown wound up on the floor, dazed and disoriented by the blast but otherwise uninjured.

She said 'Amen' and the room was engulfed in a huge ball of fire. The 65-year-old Brown said she is blessed to be alive.

By the way, last night we had an amazing, multi-hour long display of lightning up here in heathen Dan Brown country. No one was struck down outside, let alone inside. Coincidence?

Story via Boing Boing.

This morning I had what will hopefully be the last two CAT scans I will need. If the nodule and granuloma in my lung have not changed, I should be off the hook with respect to chest CAT scans. I'm not sure what the plan is with the abdominal scan. Doctors seem to like their patients to get multiple follow-up scans, so I might be due for one more. I'll find out next week....