Todd Bradley’s Galaxy

I just read on Boing Boing that Netscape Navigator will no longer be supported by AOL after February 2008. There was a time that Netscape actually charged money for their software, and thought they could make a viable business on it. I know, because I was one of the rare individuals who actually shelled out money to buy Netscape. But alas, as we know now, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer eventually took over the world and Netscape crashed.

Nowadays, I use Firefox, which I guess in a way is the descendant of Netscape Navigator. But I don’t know if the $49 I paid for Netscape Communicator helped fund what would become the open source Mozilla and later Firefox. Netscape Communicator, for those who don’t know, was the “total package” version of Netscape’s consumer software that included Netscape Navigator (the web browser), Netscape Composer (the HTML editor), and Netscape Messenger (the email and news client), plus some other stuff I never used. What a deal for less than fifty bucks!

To help honor the passing of Netscape Navigator, I decided to upload my email receipt for Netscape Communicator. In the summer of 1997, it was the hottest thing around. Check it out.

About a year ago, I rediscovered my love of The Fixx.  Remember them?  They were sort of a new wave pop group that was big in the 80′s.  So I got their first two CDs, and have really enjoyed listening to them.  I got to wondering whatever happened to them, and found that they’ve actually more or less stayed together all these years.

Recently, I added a few more of their albums to my Amazon.com wish list.  And Beth really came through for me.  She got me 3 CDs by The Fixx for Christmas!

According to Wikipedia, here is their discography.  The ones in bold I own.

• Shuttered Room (1982) #106 US, #54 UK
• Reach the Beach (1983) #8 US, #91 UK, #9 CAN
• Phantoms (1984) #19 US, #15 CAN
• Walkabout (1986) #30 US
• React (live album) (1987) #110 US
• Calm Animals (1988) #72 US
• Ink (1991) #111 US
• Missing Links [compilation] (1994)
• Real Time Stood Still [compilation] (1997)
• Elemental (1998)
• 1011 Woodland (1999)
• Extended Versions (2000)
• Happy Landings and Lost Tracks (alternate takes from Elemental) (2001)
• Want That Life (2003)
• Stand or Fall [live] (2004)
• Mayfly (Cy Curnin’s solo album) (2005)
• Twentyfifth Anniversary Anthology (2005)

To make matters worse today, while checking in at the US Airways ticket counter to get our boarding passes for the flight to Omaha, we were “randomly” selected to receive the special security screening. They don’t wait to decide this as you’re going through the security checkpoint, but instead print “SSSS” on the boarding pass in big letters. So, if you know what to look for, you will know up to 24 hours in advance that you’ve been selected to for the shakedown. How this is supposed to improve air security is totally incomprehensible to me.

Let’s say I was a terrorist trying to sneak something deadly onto the plane – an explosive concealed within a Chapstick, for example. If I’d done any research whatsoever, I’d already know that “SSSS” on the boarding pass means I’m going to be singled out for special screening. So I would team up with some other nasty individual. We’d make reservations separately, of course. And then we’d both check in using the online check-in function on United’s website, where we could both print boarding passes. Now, let’s say mine prints out with the dreaded “SSSS” label. What do you think we’d do? Continue with the operation as planned? Of course not! I would pass off the deadly Chapstick to my friend who didn’t get “SSSS”. Or, if I didn’t have a team mate, I’d just not show up! Or rebook the flight! Or something! What good does a random search do, if you know in advance that you’re going to be searched? I just don’t get it.

But, I did get searched. That means that in addition to the usual routine (take off jacket, belt, and boots, take the laptop out of the bag to send through x-ray separately, put coins, cell phone, keys, and wallet into the separate little bowl) I got patted down, and then wanded, and then they did a hand search of my backpack. They did, in fact, find that I had left some sunscreen in there, and that it wasn’t in a “quart size zip top bag”. The nice TSA agent, though, had a bag handy. He put my sunscreen (both tubes), the dish washing soap sample I got at some festival last summer, and my chapstick into the bag and warned me that I needed to send that bag through separately in the future. He was a nice guy about it, at least. But I still can’t imagine how my sunscreen is going to be a threat to national security. If you can imagine how, please comment on this blog article with your hare-brained scheme. Thank you.

I’m writing this in the airport in Omaha.  “What the heck am I doing in Omaha?” you might ask.  Well, our flight from Kansas City to Denver was canceled due to “crew issues”.  I called United at the ticket agent initially said the next time we could fly home would be the 28th.  Two more days in KC!!!???  But she kept checking some alternatives and found that we could fly from KC to Omaha on US Airways, and then have a 3 1/2 hour layover before taking a United flight to Denver.  On the plus side, we got to sleep in an extra 90 minutes this morning, so we didn’t have to get up at such an ungodly hour.  On the down side, though, we’re not going to get home until about 6 hours later than the original plan called for, which ruins most of one of my rare and precious days off.  Oh well.

The weird thing about the flight cancellation was how inconsistent the information about it was.  I’d gotten a text message on my phone on the 24th.  The message just said there has been a change to the flight, and we could either call or rebook online.  So I checked online and United’s website said the flight was still scheduled, that we were booked in it and confirmed, and that we even had seats assigned.

So I didn’t worry about it until last night (the 25th).  I checked the website again, and found that we were still booked and confirmed for the flight, and that they still had our seat assignments.  The only thing they didn’t have info for was the gate number.  Just to be sure, I called United’s 1-800 info line.  After answering a few questions, the phone system computer also confirmed that the flight was on, that we were ticketed and confirmed, that we had seat assignments, and that the flight was on time!  OK, sounds good.  But just because I’m extra paranoid, I guess, I hit 0 to speak to an agent.

The agent, a nice young Indian woman, then confirmed the bad news – the flight had indeed been canceled, contrary to what United’s website and phone information system said.  I just can’t understand how a flight can get canceled, and then 24 hours later the airline’s website still says the flight is happening and on time.  I suspected there would be several dozen travelers who showed up this morning at the KC airport only to then learn the flight was canceled.  Unless you signed up for SMS or email notification of flight changes, you would’ve never known about this ahead of time.  Sure enough, when we got to the KC airport this morning to check in with US Airways, there was a HUGE line at the United ticket counter.  Sucks to be them.

Many of you couldn’t give a damn, but if you want to know my opinions, here they are.

My book and product reviews (Amazon.com)

My reviews of restaurants outside Broomfield, Colorado (Google Local)

My reviews of restaurants in Broomfield, Colorado  (broomfieldrestaurantreviews.com)

My movie reviews (IMBD)

I wouldn’t normally post the contents of an email to my blog without permission of the author, but I’m quite certain Alek Komanitsky would approve. I just got this email from Alek, who is a local geek and Ultimate Frisbee player:

For the many that have asked (and those that haven’t yet), the Controllable Christmas Lights for Celiac Disease are up for 2007:
http://www.komar.org/cgi-bin/christmas_webcam

There are three live webcams and X10 powerline control technology system so web surfers can not only view the action, but also *control* the 17,000 lights. Heck, you can even inflate/deflate the giant Elmo, Frosty, Santa, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Homer Simpson – D’OH!

While people around the world (157 countries last year) enjoy seeing the lights ON, environmentalists will be happy to know that they can turn the lights OFF with a click of the mouse. Better yet, this is the 4th year I’m using 100% Wind Energy and even though that is “clean” energy, I even did a Carbon Offset contribution for the 0.61 Tons of CO2 for the ~MegaWatt-Hour of power consumed; that’s about the same as *one* cross-country airline trip. Finally, by providing viewing via webcam, you don’t need to burn fossil fuels by driving around to see christmas lights – Al Gore would be proud!

But HEY, the $3/day in electrical costs are well worth the joy it brings to people (especially the kids) when they see the display in person and/or on the web. And new this year is a Hi-Def option, so gather your family around the large screen.

The website is totally free (and totally fun) and is one of my zany ways of raising awareness & soliciting donations for Celiac Disease:
http://www.celiaccenter.org/news_xmas.asp
my two sons have this condition, so it’s personal for me.

If folks are so inclined, you can make an optional donation directly to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.
Over $20,000 has been raised with holiday lights – go figure! So surf on by, tell your friends, blog about it, spread the word, etc.
Merry Christmas and HO-HO-HO!

alek