NSLog();

A website that starts with the word "varied-" and has the name of a popular card game after that (followed by .com) has been spamming this site like crazy for the past twelve hours. Luckily, they use only one URL, so I put them in the spam blocklist in SpamLookup (yes, it works in MovableType 3.2b2) and they've not gotten a single comment past it yet.

They have tried over 8,000 times in those 12 hours. It's not stopping, either. How ineffective is this, really?

I wonder if anyone living in Washington or some of those states where you can sue spammers have sued and won for comment spam.

Nifty!

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell joined Carnegie Mellon University and Allegheny County leaders today (July 25) to announce Apple Computer's tenancy in the university's Collaborative Innovation Center and to celebrate the governor's Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) program, a state-wide initiative that aims to spin off university research into new businesses and jobs in the Commonwealth.

I know of at least a few people affected by this move. And that's about all I can say about that.

A pal of mine is looking for a Java developer to develop some Java software for mobile phones. Three full-time positions are available - one Lead Developer and two Junior Developers. Telecommuters are welcome to the position(s), and the salary is more than good.

I'm posting this here so that I can mention this post to a few of my friends, but some of you guys read my blog more than you read your email or get on AIM, so get in touch with me if you're interested. I'll pass your contact information along to my hiring pal.

Carey and I didn't invite very many people to our wedding reception and housewarming party. We wanted to keep things small - more an intimate gathering of close friends and family than an "invite anyone you've ever met" kind of deal. We sent snail mail invitations a month or so before-hand, though friends and family knew the date long before that.

Carey and I didn't register anywhere because we don't need anything big. Just little things like spatulas and a lamp or two (that we'd want to pick out). Just about everyone gave us checks or gift cards to places like Lowe's - even folks like my old high school chemistry teacher and golf buddy, from whom I expected nothing.

Five of my pals, however, didn't bother to get us anything. Not even a card.

NSLog(@"Finish Reading %d Words", 694); »

Question: When you're invited to a wedding reception, housewarming, bridal shower, etc., what do you consider proper etiquette?

My Answer: I typically overspend, and I almost always send a gift. The only times I don't send a gift are when I barely know the person who's invited me. In those instances, I send a card. More in a different post…

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

This blog is now running MovableType 3.2b2. Some random thoughts (I may edit this list as the day goes by).

• I like the icons. They're prettier.
• I'm going to have to get used to where things are in the new system, but overall, the layout seems to make some sense.
• I dirify my titles, so I had to run a massive script to update all of the basenames for existing entries. I didn't have to, but I wanted to so that I could use basenames going forward. I don't know how this will work in ecto (see below).
• The Junk functionality does absolutely nothing at this point, but it will soon. For now, I've got SpamLookup installed. It's a stopgap and nothing more.
• Speaking of plugins, MT-Macro, MT-WordCount, and MTTimer all seem to work. I disabled NoFollow.
• Updating my API password for ecto was easy enough.
• I agree with Judi about bare-bones templates. It took me over an hour just to integrate the new comments form. Over half of that time was spent messing with <div>s I didn't create.
• I don't recommend upgrading now unless you like comment spam (or don't get any). MT is, at this point, pretty defenseless.
• I had to add an mt-site.js template. It wasn't included or created automatically. Lame.
• I've been told not to Junk comments, but just to delete them. For some reason, Junking moderated (i.e. unpublished) comments rebuilds entries (unnecessarily). Bug filed.
• Moderation doesn't seem to work. Even if I log in via TypeKey, my comments are moderated for some reason, despite the fact that it's my blog, I've commented some (nearly) 700 times, and that I'm a trusted commenter. The settings look correct, but my comments are held for moderation.

Results of publishing this entry via ecto ("MovableType 3.2b2" should publish at "movabletype_32b2.php" - that's 16 letters instead of the default 15) failed. Either ecto will have to add "basename" capability or MovableType will need to let me specify how to automatically form a basename. 15 characters simply isn't gonna cut it. No way, no how.

I need some trophies for a silly "Ryder Cup-like" competition I'm holding in October. One main trophy with four little separate trophies (for each of the winning team members). Does anyone know where I can find such a trophy? Locally? Online? I am not sure where to begin.

Ideally, the trophy would be somewhat cheesy, but I don't want something plastic or something that will fall apart, either.

Carey and I went to the Pittsburgh Pirates ballgame last night. The Buccos won 5-3, despite Lloyd McClendon and José Mesa's best efforts to produce a different outcome. Carey and I were seated a bit further back than the last time we went, but on a very similar line. Last year I had only my Nikon CoolPix 995 - this year I took my Digital Rebel XT and the 75-300 lens. It worked well, but I really needed to be closer to the action as I as at the Seawolves game.

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Question: When was the last time you kissed someone?

My Answer: Two minutes ago (don't tell my wife! Oh, ok, you caught me - it was my wife).

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: Longhorn is apparently going to be known as "Vista." Do you like the name?

My Answer: No. And the funniest comment I've read today was "Hasta la vista, baby!" 🙂

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: How is Islamic Jihad different than the Christian Crusades?

My Answer: I'm paraphrasing the question, but I saw it elsewhere and thought it might stir up some opinions. So go ahead and share 'em, eh?

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: What was your favorite book as a child?

My Answer: Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein. No, that's not an affiliate link - it's just underlined. My mom attended some conference for parents of smart (I hated the term "gifted") kids while I was at some science fair or another, and someone recommended to the parents that they buy this book. She bought it on the way home.

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

Question: How far are you from the nearest beach?

My Answer: Seven miles (five or so as the crow flies). Lake Erie (duh). I'm not quite as close as I was in Florida where I was four and two (and to a much bigger body of water).

You are encouraged to answer the Question of the Day for yourself in the comments or on your blog.

This is just a test of some acronym script I've got going here. Let's see if it recognizes DVD or HTML or MP3 or WYSIWYG or some other acronyms like PDF and JPEG and GIF. FAQ? That should be easy.

It doesn't seem to work. Even after changing the &lt; and &gt; to < and >. Hmmm.

This interview with Ask Jeeves reminds me of that time Gabe fought with Eliza after we pitted two Elizas against each other.