IS CYBERSPACE JUST A LITTLE TOO PUBLIC?
I have a Twitter account, which apparently a LOT of people swear by as the "next big thing." I approached it with a more jaundiced eye. Anybody can check it out at http://twitter.com/halscrawford, but don't expect any more insights than I would put out here - at least not yet.

One wag I read about said "it's a great chat utility." Oh, really? I guess so, but it's a chat session that unless you mark your account private, and KEEP IT private, anybody can it check out. Forever. Those suckers just don't have an erase button.

So, Twitter is a brick wall that you can spray-paint your musings for anyone to see - except unlike that brick wall, there's a permanent pointer going right back to you. One poster, apparently a grad student, posted this message for all to see:

Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.

Now, as an email sent to your friends, this message is quite innocuous. However, as a Twitter post, well, it was more than a little careless. Cisco employees, who like to do Twitter searches on the word "Cisco" to see what's going down, weren't so amused. The Twitterer got a reply:

Who is the hiring manager. I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.

Ouch. Apparently the offer was rescinded. The Twitterer tried to do some damage control by backpedaling on her website, but the damage was done.

I don't do a lot of posting to my own blog - it comes in fits and starts, but I'm not blessed with a lot of spare time. But I love to write and like to put my thoughts on the Internet. I'm a consultant, and I do a lot of traveling. It's not hard for people to go through my website, my blog, and my Flickr account to see where I've been. But I generally don't talk about my clients, out of respect for them. You saw my post about Des Moines yesterday; it was a generally upbeat piece. I don't want to trash the places where I work, unless I have a really good reason. (Dayton, Ohio might be the lone exception.) But it is amazing how people can get offended by the smallest slight.

The only real fear right now is that I also like to talk about politics. I make no secret that I lean conservative, and in the age of Obama that may be a dangerous thing. It's been hard to find work in this economy. And while the clients I work for tend to share my political leanings, that doesn't mean they can sit back and let me go on a right-wing rant. Banks can be a potential client, and if I happen to land a project with a bank that has received "stimulus" money from the Obama Administration, there might be some understandable reluctance from my client to let me go on a tear about stimulus packages. Do I bite the hand that feeds the hand that feeds me? It's a tough call all around.

Well, I'm not working for a stimulus package recipient, but it is sad that one has to think of these things in a free society.

A NEW PROJECT! YEA!
Tonight I’m at Java Joe’s, a coffee bar located in downtown Des Moines, where my current assignment is. This is Irish Music Tuesday, and several musicians are playing Irish reels and other selections.

Today at lunchtime I got my shoes shined. As I sat down, I asked him how he was doing, and he said, “Well, I have to tell you. I’m doing great for a man of 95.” I was amazed – first because I wouldn’t think he was older than 75 or so, and second that he was still working at his age. But he did a great job on my shoes. He started shining shoes at the age of 18, and charged 10 cents back then (he charged me $7.00 today). I remarked that you couldn’t buy anything for 10 cents anymore, and together we listed things that used to: candy bars, phone calls. He had lived in Des Moines since 1938, and done nothing but shine shoes all these years.

This is my second visit to Des Moines – but my first visit was in the early nineties, when I was visiting Meredith Corporation. I really didn’t recognize the town. You can walk all over downtown without ever getting hot, cold or wet, because there are a series of skywalks that move through most of the buildings downtown. It’s three blocks to my client, and all covered by skywalks.

It's not Florida, but it's certainly pleasant enough.

ARLEN SPECTOR BOLTS GOP...
Surprising no one.

Don't let the Republican door hit you on the way out, senator.

Will the Democrats sing "Consider Yourself," like they did to Jim Jeffords? (gee, where is HE now?)

AND THE MEDIA CONTINUES TO SELF-DESTRUCT....
Bill Whittle has an excellent analysis of the media bias rampant today.

TYPICAL...FOR OAKLAND....
Man goes berserk, and kills 4 police officers before he goes down.

A candlelight vigil has been held.....

...for the cop killer.

The world is a little bit crazier.

NEWSPAPERS…RIP?
Speaking of the news, newspapers have been on the skids for years now. Part of the problem has been the decline of quality, accuracy and fairness that newspapers are supposed to uphold.

But with the rise of the Internet, and the means of getting your news for virtually free, the old standby sources of information have had to struggle as readers depart for other pastures.

It’s nice to have a newspaper to read on a bus or plane, but more people than ever have iPods, laptops, and Blackberrys that can access the news no matter where you are.

Now, there’s talk of a -- wait for it – bailout for newspapers! Please please please, no. Where were the government bailouts for buggy whips and trolleys? Who misses those things, today? Politics aside, I can halfway understand throwing a few bucks at the auto industry – the automobile is not going away anytime soon, and transportation is an important component of our economy. But newspapers?

Let’s look at the Gray Lady: The New York Times. They’re over a billion dollars in debt. They’re going to mortgage their own building just to keep afloat (fat lot that’s gonna get them, in today’s real estate market). But the editorial staff is a shambles. They’ve been the source of flawed coverage of critical stories for years. They’re practically the mouthpiece of the Democratic Party. They’re the Air America of print news. And surprise! Not everybody wants to read about the glories of the Democratic Party every day, or how Republicans are always screwing up the country, or how nobody can find WMDs in Iraq (even though some articles in their own paper say there are).

Why would I want to ever support throwing government money at newspapers? Isn’t the media supposed to be the “fourth branch” of government? Aren’t they supposed to be government watchdogs? If we give them money, will they be fair and balanced – like NPR?

If the silly notion of giving bailout money to newspapers takes root, I’m writing my congressman and senators. Sigh. Again.

I HAD NO IDEA THE LA TIMES WAS THIS BAD....
Patterico has a summary of all of the reviews he has done of the LA Times. What an ugly mess.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!
And goodbye to 2008. Not a terrible year, but certainly plenty of ups and downs. 2008 was my first full year as an independent LLC consultant. And business hasn't been bad. The economy looks very daunting for 2009, and I hope things go well this year as well. I've got one daughter in college, you know; and having to save for the second one as well.

And I have a lot of friends who are looking for work (if you know of any openings for mainframe operations gurus, or BI-ETL consultants, email me). And I see no real evidence that the economy is going to pop back up anytime soon. We have a new President coming into office in a few weeks, and while he's not from my preferred party, he seems to be making sensible Cabinet selections, so there may be hope for us, yet.

FESTIVUS IS JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY!!! ARE YOU READY???
You can get your Festivus Pole here.

Instapundit: "Ah, there’s nothing like seeing the little kids’ eyes light up when you bring one of these beauties into the living room. . . ."

Yeah, I didn't know what Festivus was, either, until I clicked here. And here. Oh, and here.

A COOL WEBSITE....
This site lists ships that are anywhere in the world, where they're going, plus lots of other cool information. They are ships equipped with AIS (Automatic Identification System), and they are used for collision avoidance and emergency locating.

There is a downside - pirates out of Somalia are also using the system to pinpoint their targets, using the same technology. Hanging is too good for some people.

HEH...NEW TORTURE TECHNIQUES IN QUANTANAMO ARE GETTING RESULTS.

MUST...CONTROL...GAG REFLEX...
Time Magazine is just gone gone. Here are the first words of reporter Nancy Gibbs defining the Obama Victory:

Some princes are born in palaces. Some are born in mangers. But a few are born in the imagination, out of scraps of history and hope.

Other Democratic spokesmen have talked about how Obama will 'rule' the United States.

Banana Republic, here we come.

MARK STEYN'S LATEST...

I don't need Barack Obama's help to "spread the wealth around." I spread my wealth around every time I hire somebody, expand my business, or just go to the general store and buy a quart of milk and loaf of bread.

Note that he's talking about spreading the wealth to people who earn it. Read the rest here.

BLOG OVERHAULED!
I never liked the colors of my blog, and it was time to freshen it up. Also, I now have ads! Please check them out from time to time, and if you're interested in what you see, please click on them!

Maybe this will get me to post more often.

And no, no comments allowed (yet). I just don't have the time to keep up with them, and I'm easily baited into comment 'debates'. In the meantime, if you want to comment, just send me an email.

THE DAY AFTER....
Well, surprising no one, Barack Obama is our President Elect. Congratulations to him and best of luck to his administration. He will be inheriting a struggling economy, and a rising tide of Islamo-fascist terrorism in the Middle East and Europe. With 51% of the vote, he doesn’t have a mandate. But he’ll have a compliant Congress ready to do his bidding.

I’m not happy about some of the way he handled his campaign. There are clearly fund-raising and get-out-the-vote irregularities that really need to be investigated, but they won’t. I’m pretty convinced that Ohio was stolen. But other states weren’t, and McCain didn’t do what was necessary to get his message out to the voters.

Without question, Obama will be the most politically liberal man ever to occupy the White House. He will certainly allow the Bush tax cuts to lapse, which in combination with his redistribution agenda will certainly drag down the economy even further. Iraq better be ready; he will almost certainly pull troop out and if he keeps his word will cut military spending 25%. And while I don’t expect universal health care to have that much traction, expect no improvement in the health care area.

With gas prices returning to a semblance of normalcy, energy issues will be less prominent, but ‘cap and trade’ policies will hurt energy production and increase prices. And if he embraces Kyoto and other global warming protocols, we can expect unprecedented economic challenges.

Republicans put themselves in the wilderness when they acted like drunken teenagers with Dad’s sports car in the 2001-2004 Congress. They abandoned the conservative principles that swept them into office in the first place, and it cost them. The Democrats haven’t been any better, but with a compliant media they don’t have to be. Until the Republican party and it's leadership can embrace a conservative methodology and focus the voters with a solid message, we can expect them to be out there for a long time to come.

Until that time comes, how much can Obama do? As a Marxist (by his own words), quite a bit. Look at Venezuela. It was a free country when populist Hugo Chavez took power as president. Now the country is a basket case, kept alive only because it sells oil to the U.S. He shut down newspapers and TV stations. Nationalized the oil industry. Can Obama do that? We got a taste of what he is capable of doing when he sent his operatives to Missouri, and his response to the Orlando TV station when they didn’t do the usual puff piece on Joe Biden. Now there is talk of reviving the “fairness doctrine,” which will stifle free speech in the radio markets, and there may even be moves to shut down political speech on the internet (including this feeble site!). The Democrats have power again, and we’ve seen that they will do what it takes to keep it.

It’s going to get rough.

I WAS ON NEAL BOORTZ THIS MORNING!
Hardly had to wait, too. I call in about every 5 years, so it was time. I wanted to talk about the Democrat-backed bill that would create unions from open elections. Currently to become a union, there is a secret ballot. Union organizers want to do away with all that stuff. Intimidation factor? Nahhhh....

Anyway, here's how I opened with Neal:

ME: Hi, Neal. You should know that if Obama wins, I'm moving to a more conservative country - like, France.

NB: Oh, do like Alec Baldwin, huh?

ME: Exactly.

NB: 'A conservative country like France...' heh heh....

IT'S ELECTION DAY!!!!
I'm gonna vote for Palin and that other guy.

Heh: "Vote for McCain, he may win."

UPDATE: My polling precinct is PACKED. Gonna try after lunch.

Another heh: Mark Steyn reports that early results are in.

OH, NOW I FEEL BETTER ABOUT VOTING FOR OBAMA....
Obama will explain how he will spend the $700 billion bailout money, on Wednesday. Ben Smith has the details.

Also up, on Wednesday, Obama will solve the global warming problem, establish peace in the Middle East, and establish 100% employment in the U.S.

BIDEN BOTTLED UP...
After some questionable performances, such as engaging in an interview that finally asked some straight questions about Obama and campaign, and after well, talking without a script, again, VP candidate Joe Biden has been leashed.

I think if I knew Biden personally, politics aside, I would like him. As a politician, though, he's a bit clueless.

IS OBAMA AN AMERICAN CITIZEN?
Quite a few folks say, well, no:



Summary: Philip J. Berg has brought a lawsuit in Philadelphia has not proven his American citizenship and is therefore disqualified from running for office.

Now, Mr. Berg has his own issues, and I'm kind of in the crowd that might be willing to give Obama the shadow of the doubt, but there are lingering questions. However, the case was dismissed on Friday.

The reason: Because Mr. Berg "lacked standing", and any harm that would come from an ineligible candidate was "too vague and its effects too attenuated to confer standing on any and all voters."

Lacked standing? Other than being an American citizen, how can one not have standing to demand that a candidate prove their citizenship as required by the Constitution???

Also, that judge (who was appointed by Clinton, BTW), indicated that any potential harm from an ineligible candidate was "too vague"? So, the natural born requirement is unenforceable?

This stuff is just bizarre - all around.

UPDATE: Even Michelle Malkin isn't touching this one, considering the evidence (see this link). I'm willing to move on, too.