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Question: Where did you go on your last non-working vacation, and how long ago was it?

My Answer: Right now to visit Carey in Pennsylvania (there Josh!). Prior to that, I think my last vacation was the summer before my senior year in college when my family went to Hawaii. It has pretty much been work work work work since then.

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

Question: What do you think of the DH rule?

My Answer: Fuck it. It's an abomination. AL Pitchers should learn to at least bunt for crissakes. The fundamental nature of the game is changed when you have someone who merely hits and someone who merely pitches. The DH has extended the careers of people who should no longer be considered "Major League Baseball players."

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

Question: What is the most deceitful thing you've ever done?

My Answer: I've lied to friends about surprise parties and things like that, but I can't say I've ever really done something deceitful. The upside to being an honest person to the core (even when I should keep my mouth shut) is that I tend to just come out with things. People tend to know where I stand.

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

My planes arrived on time and I'm back in Erie for a few days (eight). I feel like it's been so long since I last saw Carey, and we both acted a little oddly around each other the first few hours (mostly her). And then [censored]. 😀

Anyway, I'm in a pretty good mood today. Please tolerate the questions of the day for the next few days as I'll be away from the computer a lot.

Question: If your house was on fire and you could grab only five things, what would they be?

My Answer: First would be my dog Flint, of course. Second would be my computer (yeah, I've got backups, but that'd be a pain in the ass). Next up we've got three fairly random things: my ammunition (it's in a fire-safe box, but why risk it?), my "box-o-Carey" stuff, and a hat. Credit for this question one goes to Kati.

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

PulpFiction 1.0.1 is now available. This version is effectively a rewrite of version 1.0: we've moved entirely to bindings to simplify and speed up the display of articles, we've implemented our own protocols for the built-in browser, we've overhauled the CSS display mechanisms, and much, much, much more. If we were to document every change, improvement, or bug fix, the list would have numbered in the hundreds. Plural.

Yes, I said that bindings sped things up! When you push around as much data as PulpFiction does, with filters, AppleScripts, sorting, searching, labels, and a persistent storage database into which some of our users have managed to shove 20,000 articles, every little bit helps. The old table view delegates work nicely… until you get to about four rows in the tables. 🙂

PulpFiction has previously been reviewed by GeekPatrol and received high marks. This release is faster, more stable, and adds a lot more features than you should find in a 1.0 -> 1.0.1 update.

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Question: What is your favorite kind of steak?

My Answer: At the Outback, I always always always get the Melbourne, a 20 oz. porterhouse. At nearly every other steakhouse, I'll get the prime rib. I like juicy, rare-cooked steak. I'd like the filets more if they weren't so damn small.

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

I swear to $DEITY, that's the headline.

Rob and I went shooting today. We played a game he called "cricket" wherein you have anywhere from 4 to 10 targets, and you have to make them in order to continue on to the next one. Of course, if you think you've made one you can move on, but if you end up being wrong you start the next round back a few slots.

It's a tricky game and it is certainly one I enjoyed. We shot both the 9mm (one- and two-handed) as well as the .22. The .22, with the scope, was clearly much easier even though the damn thing weights fourteen pounds (or so it feels).

Good stuff. Rob will be taking care of Flint while I'm gone, so this and a dinner a week ago are his treats. 🙂

Question: Who was the greatest President of the United States?

My Answer: I've been alive for Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bush Number 1, Clinton, and Bush Number 2. Of those, Ronald Reagan was clearly the greatest president. Going back, well, I have only what the history books tell me, but from what I remember of those I'm going to have to go with FDR. It might surprise some that Bush Number Two finished third in this poll asking the same question.

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

It's "official" too as it comes from Apple:

Remove both earbuds:
During a job interview
Taking your driver's test
When your sweetie calls

Remove one earbud:
Listening for your flight
Buying groceries
When a coworker calls

Leave 'em in:
Visiting the inlaws
At the laundromat
When your boss calls

None of these deserve a full entry, so here we go, piecemeal:

I picked up 500 rounds of Winchester 9mms for $69.90 at Bass Pro today. Only two weeks ago they were something like $79.90, so, yay. I also picked up an SKB lockable two-handgun case, and I think I may take the guns with me to Pennsylvania on Wednesday when i go to see Carey. I can shoot with her, with my dad, or in my downtime while I'm up there, and I'm keen to show the handguns to my dad.

Mike and I went fishing today. Four pound mullet were jumping and scattering everywhere, but we didn't see a damn thing. The most exciting moment came when Mike hooked into a ray with what had to be a three foot wingspan. Its tail was over two feet long. It broke off before I could pull it out of the water (to unhook it).

PulpFiction 1.0.1 is nearly done and will be out Tuesday. Then, I'll be taking my first vacation in, ohhhh, three years. I'm heading up to see The One I Love for a week. I'm very nervous, though I know I shouldn't be and though I know that feeling will vanish when I see her again. We've got some alone time, we've got some time with the daughter, and so on. We'll be hitting up Marine Land (no Kati, you don't need a passport to go to Canada) and a few other 2-year-old hotspots. I'll probably have more fun than she will…

What will I be taking? Two cameras. The PowerBook. An iPod. Guns. Clothes I'll buy in PA, or perhaps I won't need that many… 🙂

Question: Would you rather vote for Jed Bartlet (let's pretend it's the re-election year, after the MS thing, and not the first go-round) or John Kerry for the Democratic nominee?

My Answer: Bartlet. Easily. I may not agree with all or even most of his stances on things (in, yes, a fictional TV show), but at least he's got conviction and a will to do things. But really, how many vice presidents can that guy go through? Neither would get my vote in the general election, though.

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

Through the years Freshly Squeezed Software has been with eSellerate, several customers have written in concerned that when they click "Buy" they're taken to a site that looks and feels wholly different (eSellerate). Some get confused, and some just leave. We track the number of people that visit the store via our site, and a rather low percentage end up buying. Throughout the years, I've contemplated setting up a merchant account, getting secure hosting, and doing all sorts of things to provide a smooth process to customers without the jarring "Look, you're on a different site entirely!" surprise.

eSellerate recently rolled out a feature that purportedly allows you to customize the appearance of your storefront to match your own site (or to look any way you wish). I've spent the past few days marching through their code: I was very excited to have the opportunity to provide that smooth process to customers without leaving eSellerate, who has been a good partner for a number of years.

I was not nearly as excited once I saw their basic template code.

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