December 2007 Archives

Nine hours later. I am finally beginning to warm up after my trip to the Shoreline Trolley Museum in East Haven.

Good God - It was as cold as I ever remember. The sunshine was deceiving. The gusty northwest wind just cut right through my clothing.

The winter hasn't even begun!

Did I mention- I had a great time.

Peter, visiting from New Jersey, and I set out around 9:30 this morning. The museum is around 25 minutes away.

As soon as we arrived, we met up with my host, Dana Bowers. As with most active members of the museum, he loves trolleys and all sorts of trains.

The museum actually covers a lot of ground. There's a depot, in a residential area of East Haven. A little farther up the track is the maintenance facility and yard. A single track continues to the Short Beach section of Branford.

My trolley was number 1602, a yellow car with red trim and the word "Connecticut" painted on each side. We hopped on board and I headed to the front. Actually, this trolley can be driven from either end, a definite advantage on this line where the track dead ends coming and going.

Controlling the trolley was fairly straightforward. There's a switch for forward and reverse, a throttle and a brake lever. Each 'click' of the throttle switched out resistance and allowed more current to flow to the motor.

I am told this car could do 60 mph¹. I never went above 20 mph or so (there is no speedometer) and often slowed to walking speed as we went over weaker sections of track.

We left the terminal, headed toward the yard and stopped to check a track switch. Poof, the power failed!

Thank God. It wasn't anything I'd done... or at least so they said.

After a few minutes the lights returned and we headed out through a salt marsh toward the opposite end of the right-of-way. The road was curvy, crossing a few bridges and culverts. There was little time for steady speed.

The trolley sounded like the New York City subways I rode as a kid. The air compressor throbbed as it charged the brake system. The wheels screeched as we rounded turns.

The trolley itself responded exactly as I expected. I'd build some speed and then reduce to the throttle setting to allow the train to coast onward. Rails have less friction than an asphalt road, so the trolley wanted to drift along forever. Acceleration was slow, but steady. Braking was quiet but firm.

Was it cool? Are you kidding? Absolutely.

After my round trip, we headed to the shop area to look at some more of the rolling stock. The museum has over 1,000 members, but the number of active people working to restore older vehicles is much smaller. Many cars are in various stages of reconstruction. Others, unfortunately, are rotting away in the salty air.

Some of this collection is eclectic. There are tiny engines for moving trolleys around the yard, cars with expanding vee shaped plow blades to use in snow and open cars designed for summer excursions.

There aren't that many trolleys left in the wild. This museum, like others, is trying to save a little piece of history.

Each trolley... each piece of each trolley... was handbuilt. Restoration is more than just sanding and painting. Each part must be cataloged and linked to its adjacent pieces.

There was one car I really wanted to see. Under a drab olive green paint job and with number 1689 on an enamel plate, this car was a prime example of the New York City Transit Authority R-9 subway car. This is what I rode to high school for four years on the "GG" line - the least glamorous line in the entire city (and the only full line that doesn't touch Manhattan).

We climbed on board. 1689 car was just as I remembered, right down to the rattan seats and destination signs showing Queens- Forest Hills to Smith - 9th Street.

I stepped up on a foothold, outside on the end of the car, and reached under to pull the switches to open the doors. I had seen conductors do this thousands of times. I'd wanted to do this as a kid, and the desire hadn't faded one bit.

Thanks to Dana and the museum members. It was a very cool trip. I just wish it hadn't been so cold.

¹ - An email received after this entry was posted says I'm wrong. It still was capable of going faster than I could handle.

Peter left Connecticut this afternoon. It was a brief trip. Before he left, we headed into New Haven for Sunday brunch.

There is no denying, we have hit winter!

Looking out the restaurant window, the city has gone gray. There's steam coming from a generation plant at Yale. It's virtually the same color as the sky.

We haven't had a lot of precipitation, but the tiny coating on the ground looks slick. Before climbing the hill back to our house from the main road (it sounds like I'm living in rural West Virginia), I switched Helaine's SUV into 4WD.

My car is in the garage for the duration.

Just a moment ago, as I was writing this entry, a crawl came across the bottom of our TV. I-95 is closed in Guiford. Other roads are closed as well.

At least this was forecast. Trust me, it's some consolation.

The next few months will be our own little piece of hell.

Both Drudge and The Huffington Post have linked to an op-ed piece in the Financial Times. It's written by former Bush insider Karl Rove.

It is advice to Barack Obama. It claims to be a game plan for Obama to win the Democratic nomination.

What is this, a Twilight Zone episode?

Why would Rove would do anything to benefit Democrats?

It is widely suggested, Hillary Clinton runs the poorest of all the major Democrats versus a generic Republican candidate. Wouldn't Senator Clinton be the Republican's first choice for Democratic nominee?

My first thought was, maybe Rove is trying to torpedo Clinton's closest rival? However, when you read the suggestions, they make perfect sense from a strategic standpoint. They would help Obama.

Maybe Rove just hates Hillary or the Clintons in general and will accept any choice instead of her?

The whole thing is a real puzzle. I can't remember anything quite like this before. And the election is still a year away.

Yesterday's snow and rain became freezing rain by late evening This morning, I was woken up by the ice.

In fact, I just walked outside to take some pictures and it sounded like it was still raining. Nope - with the temperature approaching 40°, it was ice falling off the trees and power lines.

This isn't terrible as ice storms go. Some of our softwood trees are bent over under the weight, but I'm optimistic they won't snap.

Within the next few hours, this storm will be a memory here. Winter... well that's another story. We're just getting started.

I'm not sure how this got through my spam filters, but I'm glad it did. Finally, the Christmas spirit makes it through!

If it's possible to have a favorite spam, this is it.

I have taken the day off from work. Instead, I'll be heading to Foxwoods Casino with my co-worker, Matt Scott.

Poker? Nope, though we both play. We're going to see the live theater version of "The Price Is Right."

Matt is a game show freak. There's no other way to describe him. I'm sure he's seen this presentation before.

All I know is, they choose their contestants from those attending and they havee Plinko.

If they choose me, I'm sunk. How can you play pricing games when you never go into stores?

I'll let you know more tomorrow.

Let me tell you something about Matt Scott, fellow meteorologist at the TV station. He LOVES game shows. Matt is obsessed. That's why it was no surprise when he asked me, last week, if I'd like to go to Foxwoods to see The Price Is Right Live tonight.

TPIR Live is an offshoot of the TV show. There's a version playing semi-permanently in Las Vegas and another show which travels. That's the one that was here tonight.

If he had his druthers, Matt would be hosting a game show right now. Seriously, now, as you're reading this. Of course he'd have to fight me for it. Hell, I even offered to host a game show in Singapore (an offer that was not accepted, much to my dismay).

Frustration aside, we both thought this might be fun and it was.

The live version was hosted at the Fox Theater at Foxwoods, which seats around 1,400. We got our tickets and signed in around 5:00 PM.

Yes, you sign in. Someone really does take a Sharpie and put your name on a sticky price tag. Yes, I wore mine. Matt wore his too.

We had split for dinner (Steakhouse - excellent) and returned to the theater a little before the 7:00 PM show time. The place was packed. Up front, ushers were leading the crowd in a cross between calisthenics and cheerleading.

The Price Is Right is a show dependent on the collective power of its studio audience. This group would be primed.

At 7:00 PM the announcer came out, continuing the warm-up and keeping the audience up. Clips of Bob Barker and the long running° Price Is Right showed on large screens.

A few minutes later came 'the' music. You know it. You can hum it. Edd Kalehoff's timeless theme music was blasting through the theater.

And then, they came on down!

Finally, an introduction for the host, and Roger Lodge appeared. Thin and of medium height, he was wearing a dark suit and carrying a stick microphone.

It wasn't Bob Barker, but no one minded. Lodge hosted Blind Date in syndication, so he was a reasonably known commodity. He was their celebrity host and they embraced him.

The actual show lasted over an hour and a half. Each pricing game had a new set of four contestants. Lots of people won $25 in free slot play, which was doled out like sand at the beach.

As for the larger prizes, I'm really not sure how much was given away. An excited woman won $525 on PLINKO. I wanted to yell at her when she dropped one puck from the far edge of the game.

Oh yeah, PLINKO was there as was the big wheel and that Astroturf putting green. The set, somewhat worn from travel, was a dead ringer for the on-air set (which also looks a little tired when seen live).

The show ended with the Showcase Showdown in which both contestants overbid (one by over $25,000)! Neither won the 4-day Carnival Cruise nor the Honda FIT (a car I'd never heard of before tonight). Still, the audience left happy.

It's probably time to say nice things about Roger Lodge, and I will. He did an excellent job as the host. It's a job that's significantly more difficult than it looks.

You're not only hosting, you're the guest wrangler - trying to make sure the contestants are entertaining.

Matt had arranged for us to see the backstage area. The producer, Chris, was ready to take us when Roger appeared to join us. He could not have been nicer.

I wouldn't have been surprised to run into jerk! This is a position that could easily attract an ass, especially after a long run on-the-road.

He was friendly and talkative and obviously proud of his body of work. I always thought he was very funny on Blind Date. He was very good at this too.

We said our goodbyes and Matt and I headed to the car.

As some sort of wannabe intellectual, I should look down my nose at tonight's adventure. I can't. I had a genuinely fun time. And, I spent the evening in a room with well over a thousand other people who can say the same thing.

° - Long running, yes. Original, no! Price was on NBC when I was a kid, hosted by Bill Cullen.

From my friend Farrell today (sent from his Blackberry):

R top story 4 2day,
Txt msgs r 15 yrs old

Actually, the news was broken in the International Herald Tribune this morning.

I send text messages, both IM and on my cellphone. I'm not quite sure why? Speaking seems much more versatile. Stef, on the other hand, 'texts' on a constant basis.

What I can't figure out is, how can the cellphone companies get away with charging what they charge for messaging plans? A text message uses so many fewer resources yet is billed at a premium to a voice call.

We got the word a few days ago, Frank McCarthy had died. You probably didn't know Frank. He was a quiet guy.

When Helaine and I first moved to Connecticut back in '84, Frank and Mary Ellen McCarthy were our next door neighbors. They were downsizing from a home farther east. We were just starting and had put nearly every penny we had into our down payment.

I don't remember if they came to us or us to them on that first day, but I do remember what they told us: This place is awful. We're getting out of here as soon as we can.

Their name is still on the mailbox. They never did sell or move out.

Frank was from the generation that preceded mine. He fought in World War II and was incredibly proud to have served in the Yankee Division. He still socialized with the guys and carried their unit's initials as a tribute on his license plate.

By the time we met him, Frank had semi-retired as an operating engineer. They're the guys who operate heavy construction equipment. Frank had the complexion of an Irish guy who'd spent a lot of time out in the elements.

He was a good guy, true to his friends and a team player. It was in his nature to help. That was particularly fortuitous for Helaine and me, because Frank was a wiz in everything at which we were inept!

I hope he knew how much we appreciated his help?

Toward the end of Helaine's pregnancy we faced a quandary. We had all sorts of baby furnishings for our child-to-be, but Jewish tradition says you can't bring that stuff into the house until after the baby is born. Frank and Mary Ellen gave us their living room while we waited for Stef to arrive. That one room was a substantial percentage of their unit.

Mary Ellen said Frank died from cancer. When it had spread through his body, he faced a choice. It is the courageous and honorable choice of a battle hardened veteran to know when to give up the fight. That's what Frank did.

Frank passed away at Hospice in Branford.

Guys from Frank's generation, the so called Greatest Generation, are fading away quickly. They won the peace. They built this country. They will be missed.

Frank certainly will be missed.

Our heating system stopped this morning. Sometimes it's difficult to tell, because of the temperature Helaine sets the thermostat. I woke up, turned up the thermostat and... nothing.

If you're reading this from outside the Northeast, this next line might not make any sense. Our home is heated with oil. It doesn't come in from a pipe. An oil truck pulls up to the house as needed, filling a big tank in our basement.

Our semi-countrified neighborhood has no gas lines, no water or sewer lines and no sidewalks. Our water is pumped from a well nearly 300 feet beneath our backyard. We've got a major league septic system hidden under the lawn in the front.

We have purchased oil from the same company since we moved here. Loyalty is rewarded. The repairman was here within a half hour.

As it turns out, a gunked up burner was preventing the system from firing up. Damn you OPEC. A few seconds ago, the sound of the furnace returned.

We have our furnace serviced every year. The last time was 11 months ago. I guess we just got unlucky this time. Meanwhile, I can stop rubbing my hands together.

This comes from Matt Scott, not me, but I'm in total accord.

What happens if the Writers Guild strike lasts to Christmas? You know me - every year I impatiently wait for Darlene Love to sing Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) on Letterman.

Matt wonders if they'll come back for that one night? It's doubtful. I'm afraid no contract, no Darlene.

That'll really be a Blue Christmas (without you).

While taking my Mississippi State courses in meteorology, I was surprised to find the very difficult and confusing concept of precipitation type (aka - ptype) being taught primarily from a sparse, yet scientifically thorough website.

This website comes from the National Weather Service Office in Louisville. My guess is, it was done by one of their meteorologists to help his colleagues in the office more than the general public.

It's a scary read, isn't it? It's everything you hated about math. I understand.

Forecasting precipitation type really is mind numbingly difficult. It is a 'compund' forecast based on other forecast parameters. Any error, anywhere down the line. is multiplied along the way, throwing off the ability to truly be specific.

Doing the forecast is one thing. Knowing there's a significant chance it will be wrong, no matter how hard I work at it, is frustrating. There's a lot riding on these particular forecasts.

All of this is on my mind with the chance of wintry precipitation Sunday night (tonight). Right now, it looks like sleet to freezing rain to rain.

Looks can be deceiving.

I watched Tom Brokaw's paean to 1968 last night. The History Channel is running it.¹.

For me, 1968 was the seminal year. I graduated high school, left the comfort of my family to travel out west with a pen pal I'd never met, and started college.

In July 1968, I was working at Sears on Northern Blvd. Flushing. It was a store so obscure, until I worked there, I didn't know it existed (I'd lived in Flushing nearly 15 years at the time). I was saving my $1.50 an hour wage to buy record albums.

In 1968 I bought Janis Joplin, Blood Sweat and Tears (pre-David Clayton Thomas), The Doors and Cream albums. As I remember, the going price for an album was $2.79. I was also going with my Cousin Michael and our friend Larry to concerts at the Fillmore East in the pre-stylish, quite seedy, East Village.

1968 is when I registered for the draft.

The Vietnam War was raging in the late 60s. The real controversy started a few years earlier, but by '68 it was a festering national sore. Even with film instead of videotape, and without the immediacy of satellites, we were seeing more of the battles and horrors of war than we do in Iraq. Anti-Vietnam War sentiment was rising - rising rapidly.

1968 was the year the police went wild at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. I remember the horror in the face of Dave Kulka's mom as she watched (while Dave and I didn't) at their hillside home in Greenbrae, California.

Lyndon Johnson was abandoned. Bobby Kennedy as killed. Richard Nixon was elected. Men circled, but didn't land on, the moon.

Of my 57 years, 1968 was undoubtedly the most historically significant. I wonder, in retrospect, if I was less cognizant of the nuts and bolts of the social and political tumult than I thought I was at the time? There was so much going on.

I liked how Browkaw treated this year. I remembered most, though not all of what went on. He connected some dots that I had not. I was disappointed in myself for not doing that sooner.

It was funny to see Tom Brokaw talk about his suited and skinny tied self, while portray his inner life as significantly hipper. Was he, or was he just a wannabe?

If you get a chance, this will be two hours well spent.

¹ - The good news about cable TV is, even if you've missed it, it will run again... and again.

I'm not sure why, but I have a Facebook account. It's done through my Mississippi State email address, which I still maintain.

I've never really done anything with the account. When one friend started sending his emails through it, I asked him to go back to 'real' email. It's a pain.

My friend Sheri Lynch, the "Sheri" of radio's Bob & Sheri, has 530 friends. I have 20.

There was a time you'd have to guess how much friendlier Sheri is than I am. Now it's quantifiable. Sheri is 26.5 times friendlier!

My daughter has specifically asked I not 'friend' her. It's a parental stalking thing. I get it.

As part of the Facebook process, I have to confirm friend requests, checking a box to explain how you know you. From now on, I'm just checking 'we hooked up,' regardless of who asks.

I am Jewish. No surprise there. I have mentioned it enough times on the blog.

I'm not a particularly observant Jew. As with many other Jews, I look at my "Jewishness" as much an ethnicity as a religion.

I don't think Jews have found a shortcut to heaven. In fact, Jews don't believe in heaven. We are not the only nor necessarily the best religion.

I respect my friends who have religious beliefs different than mine.

God knows (he really does), I've been in enough churches during my 23 years in Connecticut! I've spoken to church groups and church schools. I was honored to eulogize my friend Kevin at a Mormon ceremony.

With all this having been established, I am troubled by things I read which suggests some people running for the White House feel it's a job for a Christian.

Oh, it has to be the right kind of Christian too... maybe not the Mitt Romney kind. Maybe not the Rudy Guiliani kind either. Is Mike Huckabee OK? Depends who you ask.

We are a secular nation. Unlike England, for instance, there is no state church here. We are a nation of laws, not doctrine. Our leaders are elected by the people, not anointed by God.

In essence, I'm hoping the first amendment covers me when it says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

It is right for Christians, or any other group, to act in concert to advance their agenda. It is wrong to do that to the exclusion of others.

My Jewishness should never cause me to be uncomfortable in our society. At the moment, it does.

There is snow in the forecast. I'm getting sweaty.

People think I'm excited because, as a weatherman, I must like active weather. Nothing could be further from the truth! Active weather is full of forecasting pitfalls.

Helaine has already said she expects me to be up early... not to go to work early, but to verify if what I've predicted is coming true!

It looks like snow inland and a more sloppy, wintry mix near the shore.

This is my Maalox moment. The next 24 hours will be pressure packed.

It's a winter wonderland outside... if you like that kind of thing. As it turns out, I don't.

Today, I got an email complaining about my forecast. At the same time I got a few others thanking me for my accuracy. One of the email senders is screwy. May I choose which?

Obviously, in becoming a meteorologist, I learned something about snow and wintry weather. It's possible, however, my most interesting expertise comes from experience. It has to do with the practical differences in different snowstorms.

As a kid, you knew snow could be different. Ever ask if it was 'packing' snow?

Nowadays, before the first flake falls, I'm already trying to figure out if it will be packing snow. Snow can range from fluffy powdered sugar to semi congealed ice. It's not easy forecasting which particular form the snow will take and that forecast is never 100% accurate - not by me nor anyone else.

Today is a perfect example of how the 'fluff factor' can vary. There is little in common between the snowstorm that Southern Connecticut received and the one that hit Northern Connecticut! Same system... simultaneous snowfall... different outcome.

The northern snow was light and fluffy. It accumulated gently.

The southern snow was loaded with sleet and freezing rain. It accumulated like the lead blanket the dentist throws on you before getting x-rayed. It will be tougher to clear and leave a slick and icing coating when crews try.

Some plowing contracts call for different prices depending on the inches of snow received. The shoreline plowers loses in this one. There, three inches will plow like six!

I have my name 'forward searched.' If a new entry comes on the Internet, or gets published in a newspaper, and if Google sees it (and they see everything) , they send me an email. I get asked for quotes about the weather all the time and I like to see what people write.

A few minutes ago, Google sent me a link. They'd found a new webpage with my name on it.

The link led to a site where there is an argument going on about me. How absolutely weird¹. How many other problems must you solve before you get to me on life's giant to-do list?

The combatants are on a site populated by weather lovers. By and large, these people like active weather and are disappointed when the forecast doesn't follow. What they do is called 'wishcasting'.

I think most forecasters overforecast snow. My forecasts tend to be conservative. On a seasonal basis, I would guess I forecast fewer inches of snow than any other meteorologist in Connecticut. No one gets them all. My forecasts are pretty accurate.

The link led directly to a post ridiculing my forecast. I learned a long time ago you don't do that until AFTER the event.

Another poster added:

Followed by the closer:

Brad is my friend. I'm sure I've said worse about him. No foul.

You know, it wasn't too long ago this stuff would have bothered me. I'm on TV. I understand people will judge me.

Some people did come to my defense. They'll be receiving something extra for Christmas.

Here's the payoff:

Ah, sweet revenge.

Truth is, any forecast can be a bust - even one prepared with all due diligence. That's why I sweat them all out. It's the most nerve wracking part of my job.

Though one poster accused me of using a single computer model out of the box, I put a lot of thought into what I finally forecast and use a lot of tools in getting there. There are charts and maps and columns of numbers from multiple computer models.

I'm a math geek. I love this stuff.

I am ultimately responsible. It's my decision... my voice... not some suite of models and simulations. I apologize when wrong. Thankfully, not often enough that the guy who said I'd blame the models would have ever seen me do it.

I'll tell you a secret. This is real 'inside baseball' stuff and I won't be offended if you're bored.

My number one job is not accuracy. Please, don't get me wrong, accuracy is important. If I'm not accurate, people will stop watching. It's just not number one.

My main goal is to tell a useful and memorable story. I need to leave the audience with an understanding of what will happen. If I've done my job right, they will viscerally understand the weather to come.

A forecast is worthless if it can't be conveyed to the audience in a useful fashion - no matter how accurate

And, in reality, there is no practical difference between 3" or 5" or 7" of snow. They all have virtually the same effect. They are dealt with the very same way. With 3" or 5" or 7" of snow, schools will close, plows will roll, traffic will snarl and nighttime activities will stop.

That's why using graphics derived from a single model is OK, even when they differ slightly from my ideal forecast. I would rather use an effective tool to connect an idea to the viewer rather than throw it out, especially when its deviation from my thoughts is inconsequential.

¹ - I'm not going to publish the link and would rather it not be included in comments.

Was there prison before there was MSNBC? During my most productive hours, MSNBC is often showing low budget documentaries of prison life.

Good God, I don't want to go to prison.

Some of the people shown are beyond scary. One I saw tonight was just totally nuts. I'm not sure prison was the right place for him. But I can't think of any other place either.

As I understand it, there is no wireless Internet in prison. They must still be dial-up.

My web traffic's down. Can't be sure why. Maybe I've become more boring. I'll be asking for your help later this coming week.

Curious as I am, I went to the backend of this website tonight and took a quick look at part of my server logs I've don't often check. two thirds of the clicks to this site were coming from a British football forum. That's weird.

As it turns out, someone found a picture of two playing cards from an earlier entry here and linked to it. Every person who saw his comment (tens of thousands of them) was taking bandwidth from my site as they downloaded the image.

It was the equivalent of opening your wallet and showing a picture of your kids... but they're really someone else's kids!

Anyway, the graphic has been temporarily replaced. I was toying with the idea of writing something filthy, but thought the better of it and just typed my url on a white background. Now, every one of this guy's posts features my web address.

We'll see how long it goes until he figures out what I did.

Congress is considering legislation to indemnify phone companies that allow the government access to their equipment for the purpose of spying without warrants. How many ways can I say, "No," please don't let this happen.

Our country should be able to spy on our enemies. In fact, our government has an obligation to protect us using methods like spying. However, the hurdles the government must leap before starting to spy have to be high and those doing the spying must be answerable.

What I don't want is unfettered access without oversight. That seems to be what we've got now, and what this legislation will retroactively legitimize.

The government (not just this administration, though it is the poster child) is notoriously poor at acknowledging its own mistakes. Mistakes that are made 'in the dark,' sadly, may be 'forgotten.' These errors affect real people.

Telcos, which depend on the government for business and favorable legislation, shouldn't be put in the position of deciding whether to help based on whether their collective backs will later be scratched. You can be sure that's why they violated the law in the past by allowing the government access to their networks for warrantless spying.

Government works best when it operates with oversight. That's why our founding fathers decided three branches of government were better than one.

Steffie's home and on the sofa. She wasn't feeling well last Thursday, so Helaine drove to college to pick her up and deliver her to the doctor.

When a student asks to leave her car at school and go to the doctor, you know she's not feeling well! Thankfully, day-by-day, Steffie's feeling better.

Finals at school were already done for her. Two papers still outstanding can be emailed to the professors. Modern life is good.

So now, in fine Stefanie Fox form, she spends a significant portion of the day on the sofa in our family room. The food is fresh and plentiful. There's no fight for privacy in the dorm bathroom. There are no drunken freshman to pull a fire alarm at 4:00 AM.

"Do you have to sit there?" she will ask from time-to-time. It's her spot. It's easy to forget.

Having Stef home is a good thing. By and large, the three of us get along well. Even better, Stef is a playmate for Helaine and vice versa.

For me, the real advantage is anthropological. I get to watch what a twenty year old woman watches on TV. I am often dumbfounded by what I see.

A few seasons ago it was Laguna, then The Hills. This weekend Stef was watching a show about teens coming of age in Newport Beach. I've never felt so financially inadequate! I'm also embarrassed to say, I continued to watch for a while after she went upstairs.

Stef seems to gravitate toward reality shows. That's what MTV and VH-1 have becoming - reality channels. There's hardly any music on Music Television and few hits on Video Hits-1.

This is great for the network owners. Stef's demographic is coveted and these shows are cheap to make. Advertising revenue is based on eyeballs, not program cost. The percentage of time devoted to commercials seems significantly higher than that seen on traditional over-the-air channels.

Along with Real World and shows I recognize are reality takes on 'little people' and heavily tattooed tattoo artists.

Maybe my age is showing when I say I find much of what she watches troubling. Of course, I also remember clips of crew cutted do-gooders saying Elvis Presley would be the end of us all. Please, don't let me be one of them.

TV techniques are so sophisticated, I truly wonder how many of those who watch understand how little reality there is in reality TV... if there's any at all.

During the football season, it's tougher to watch 60 Minutes. It's on after football, so the start time drifts. The DVR is fooled.

I watched last night. Zip - right through A-Rod story. I just didn't care.

What did catch my attention was an amazing story by Bob Simon. He went to a pristine, untouched area in Indonesia, hundreds of miles from any kind of civilization. As his scientist host said, "It�s probably basically the way it was five or 10,000 years ago."

Think about the financial and resource commitment from CBS News and Simon. This story cost a small fortune to produce.

The destination was a jungle paradise never touched by man - never. These would be first footsteps over much of the ground. It was lush, green, astoundingly beautiful and bounding with life (though curiously, very few mammals).

I would love to go there. I probably never will. At the moment, I don't even have a valid passport.

There aren't many jobs like Bob Simon's left. Some big newspapers still have foreign correspondents. The TV networks have deemphasized international news.

Bob Simon travels the world, covering wars and this week, covering paradise.

Yesterday, seemingly out of the blue, Matt Drudge headed his website with an image from an upcoming National Enquirer front page. Because Drudge is archived, I can show you the page.

With the Iowa caucuses two weeks away, and Edwards developing some steam, that's a pretty provocative and potentially damaging story... even if untrue. Using Google news, I started scouting around for additional details. There were none easily found even at the National Enquirer's site.

It's easy to write this stuff off, except I believe it was Drudge who broke the Monica Lewinsky story. Beyond that, this is not Generoso Pope's Enquirer, breathlessly tracking Elvis at K-Mart.

This afternoon, the story has slid from it's top-of-the-page perch, but is still posted by Drudge. The John Edwards headline now links to the Enquirer's reporting, which includes denials and a claim of paternity from Andrew Young (a former Edwards insider, not the former Atlanta mayor and congressman).

With Google, it's possible to work backwards on a story. In this case, it was like a small brush fire which smoldered for months before bursting out. There were rumors in September, published on Huffington Post (in a fascinating story "Edwards Mystery: Innocuous Videos Suddenly Shrouded In Secrecy," where cover-up, unexpected silence and obfuscation made the reporter more, not less, curious) and other bits and pieces, mostly on thinly read blogs.

That there is scant 'legitimate' news coverage of this story nearly a full day after it broke implies the story can't be verified... in other words, in its original version it's probably not true.

Will this damage Edwards? Is this a political hit job or maybe the result of a 'rush to publish?' Or, maybe it is true.

Enquiring minds want to know!

My throat hurts. At the moment I only notice when I swallow. It's God's way of telling me I'm getting a cold. Swell.

Unlike most other ailments, colds moves around. They usually start in my throat before heading to my nose. Twenty plus years ago, when I smoked cigarettes, colds would gradually move to my chest, where they'd then chill out for weeks.

Nothing good can ever come in a situation where the word 'phlegm' is used.

I can track this cold's lineage with a fair amount of certainty. Stef came home from college, sick as a dog. Now, tag I'm it.

At work, I seldom take off for a cold. I'm not sure if that's right or wrong. Those who play fast and loose with sick days (you know how you are) probably see me as a sucker. I end each year with most of my sick days unused.

Helaine says I'm an awful patient. She says I kvetch at the smallest thing. "It's the worst cold ever," she'll say to me, without an ounce of sincerity. Then she proceeds to baby me.

Earlier today, a friend told me to take Airborne. My doctor says that's worthless!

The truth is, with all our medical advancements, colds are the same as they've always been. There's nothing I can do except kvetch.

Damn, Helaine's right again!

A few hours ago, Congressman Tom Tancredo (He's from Colorado, but I didn't know until I read it) pulled out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He was, to be kind, not a major factor. That's why this headline from 23/6 is so good.

We have the holy trinity of country living - well water, oil heat, septic system. That sets up the scene you see below.

A few days after a storm, there's enough heat from the septic tank below one corner of our front yard to melt the snow!

This is something I never would have guessed back when I was living in apartment 5E.

Is the Internet ready for video? Maybe it's a little late to ask this with YouTube so huge. Still, I'm starting to come to the conclusion that no one does video as well as TV does!

With TV, you turn it on - boom - the video is there. No fuss. Nothing more to do. And, most importantly, no waiting.

Schedules aren't as hard and fast as they were a decade or two ago, but it's reasonably easy to find your faves on TV.

Commercial TV stations have been broadcasting for around 60 years. They lucked into the right formula.

Even when cable tries to do video in different ways on my TV, they can't do it effectively. My Comcast DVR, hooked to digital cable, connects me to hundreds of shows on demand. I hardly ever look!

The problem is, finding the shows and then getting them running is a hassle. Of course, that's the Internet's problem too. And now, on the Internet, add 'roadblock' ads as another viewer disincentive.

For years I've been telling anyone who'd listen that the future of newscasts, what I do for a living, is on the small computer screen, not some big TV. I now have second thoughts.

Until someone figures out how to index all the shows... until someone figures out how to make video appear instantly... until someone figures out how to make Internet video as profitable as over-the-air broadcasts, it's just not going to happen.

Youtube might end up being the exception, not the rule.

My cold continues to blossom. Last night I felt it make its first move, escaping from my throat. Today, I'm sneezing.

I took some Sudafed this morning, which made a difference for a while. Tonight, it was capped with Alka Seltzer cold tablets. The jury's out on how those work.

Originally, it was going to be an easy day. Sit. Relax. Forget about work. That was not to be.

We're very short at the TV station. One of our meteorologists is out of town. Another was injured jumping out of a second story window in a fire (Mostly bruised, he'll be back shortly)!

I'm in, again, tonight. I'll be in, again, tomorrow too! I'll be working 13 in a row and 20 of 21, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Don't cry for me. It's not as if I don't like my job.

Between shows I went with Helaine and Stef to a little pre-Christmas get together at our neighbors'. The tree is up and the house is decorated. It's really pretty. Dinner was served on Christmas plates.

Yeah, we're jealous. Having a tree and all the accouterments of the holiday is very appealing.

People always ask, "Why don't you just get a tree?" It wouldn't be right. It's not our holiday. We still enjoy celebrating with our friends.

Our neighbors have the two best behaved, most polite, boys I've ever seen. They're almost Stepford like. I've known both these kids since they were born and they both call me Mr. Fox.

They were brought up like that. Respect is a lost art for most 21st Century kids.

Amazingly enough, the younger one, now in the 4th grade, was the bartender! I'm not talking about pulling a beer from the cooler or pouring wine. He had a handwritten set of instructions and was measuring out some pretty fancy concoctions. Martini glasses were frosted and filled.

Maybe it would be wrong under different circumstances, but not here. He was helping his parents and doing a pretty good job of it! This was all about being a team player. It had nothing at all to do with the liquor.

Mr. Fox did not imbibe.

I'm at my desk this Sunday evening and not away at dinner because of strong wind and rain moving through Connecticut.

Say what you will about my job, there are some benefits. While the radar loops in a monitor to my right, I'm watching the Sunday night football game on NBC in HDTV. That's right, somehow I've been blessed with an HDTV set at my desk! It's an LG 20LS7D, which I assume means it's a 20" screen.

Football in HD is amazing, but not 100% what I expected. There are lots of compression artifacts whenever there is motion. You can especially see it where there is high contrast.

By compression artifacts, I mean slight video distortion where an approximation of the actual picture replaces the full fledged version. If you play with JPG images, you've probably seen something similar.

It's possible this degradation of the picture isn't the TVs fault or the fault of HDTV in general. I'm getting this via an unencrypted feed on Comcast. I wouldn't be surprised if they were taking what they get from the local broadcaster and compressing it a little more to save on precious bandwidth.

Whatever it is, HDTV ends up as M(edium)DTV.

That being said, the picture seems sharp because of the astounding contrast. The blacks are blacker and whites whiter than what I'm used to seeing on TV. That brilliance makes the picture jump out at you.

To your eye, high contrast implies high resolution, even when high resolution isn't there. Programs like Photoshop create this effect with a filter called 'unsharp mask.'

I've been surprised to see the programming on our local PBS station. They seem to be running a full HDTV feed (still with artifacts) which differs from the PBS programs being run on their standard definition channel.

I spent a good 45 minutes watching this PBS feed a few evenings ago, staring at penguins and seals on South Georgia Island, not far from Antarctica.

Someone who walked by my desk said he'd pretty much watch anything in HD. I think I understand.

I'm not ready to bite the bullet and go HD at home. A set large enough for our family room is still prohibitively expensive for the amount of use it would get.

After seeing this presentation, I'm glad to say we're not in HD at work yet. I'm not sure my trowel-like application of makeup would serve me well. The world is a better place with a slightly fuzzy Geoff.

As you know, I look forward to Darlene Love's annual appearance with David Letterman. Unfortunately, with the writers strike no new shows.

Sigh.

I was very sad. Her performance gets better by the year.

This afternoon I got an email from Leslie with the best news possible (short of an end to the strike). Darlene will be on tomorrow night.

I'll be watching.

We are still really short of people at work. It's no one's fault. I can deal with working a little extra from time-to-time. I am exhausted.

Last night I worked through 11:35 PM. Today, I was in for the noon news.

It is Christmas. The TV station carried NBA basketball all afternoon and much of the evening. I had lots of time between the noon show and 10:00 PM.

As is the tradition, we went to the movies (with Stef) and then had Chinese food! The restaurant was full of other 'treeless' people.

Today's movie was Juno, from director Jason Reitman. This is a quirky movie with interesting production techniques. It's the story of a 16 year old girl from Mankato, Minnesota who gets pregnant.

This is a dark comedy, artfully written with clever dialog. The words and thoughts may be too sophisticated for a 16 year old, but I bought into it anyway.

Ellen Page as Juno was perfectly cast.

This is not a movie for kids or a picture to be taken lightly. And, though the ending isn't exactly storybook... and with the subject matter, how could it be... it was a very satisfying film.

My desktop machine at work runs Linux as its operating system¹. It has for years.

I've always used the excuse we run some applications on it that can't be easily run on Windows. That's true. It's also my toy.

As part of my bargain with the technogods at work, I scrounge around the IT department, looking for PCs pulled from service. Over the past few years, my desktop has always been a generation or two behind state of the art.

That's fine.

Recently, the station was 'retiring' a server. It no longer had a hard drive or any RAM. It was a dual core Pentium machine with an integrated Intel video system on the motherboard. It became mine.

I tried loading Linux on this machine a few months ago with limited results. In fact, I ended up going back to my Pentium III 800 mHz machine with 128 mb of RAM.

Now, with Ubuntu Linux v7.10 out, I tried again.

Wow! Linux is here.

The distribution installed easily and this computer sings. And, since it doesn't run Windows programs, it won't 'run' viruses and spyware aimed at a Windows audience.

Unless you really need Windows for a specific application, I'm pretty sure Linux will easily fill the bill.

Today, there are Linux office suites, graphics programs, multimedia players and pretty much everything else you'd find on a store bought PC. They, and Linux itself, are free.

Companies like Asus are selling off-the-shelf Linux loaded laptops and Wal*Mart is stocking Linux equipped desktop machines. The prices are hundreds of dollars less than comparable Windows boxes.

If I was Microsoft, I'd start worrying. There has been a loud cry of unhappiness from their users.

Their most recent operating system iteration, Vista, seems designed more to satisfy the RIAA and MPAA than its actual customers! Some features that existed on earlier operating systems have been removed or neutered on Vista. Meanwhile, Wal*Mart and Asus are legitimizing their free competitor.

Propeller heads like me aren't what's going to give Linux critical mass. It's going to take exposure in retail outlets. And that's what's happening.

If you're at all curious about computing... if you've got an older PC you want to play with... I recommend Ubuntu Linux. I'm very happy with it and I suspect you will be too.

¹ - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

An operating system (OS) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. An operating system processes system data and user input, and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system. At the foundation of all system software, an operating system performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating networking and managing file systems. Most operating systems come with an application that provides a user interface for managing the operating system, such as a command line interpreter or graphical user interface. The operating system forms a platform for other system software and for application software.

The most commonly-used contemporary desktop and laptop (notebook) OS is Microsoft Windows. More powerful servers often employ Linux, FreeBSD, and other Unix-like systems. However, these operating systems, especially Mac OS X, are also used on personal computers.

So, it looks like the Patriot - Giants game will be on 'free' over-the-air TV (seen mainly on 'paid' cable or satellite). Originally it was scheduled to be on the NFL Network alone.

This is a complex story, but it seems the NFL is the real short term loser here.

Basically, the NFL created its own sports network and seeded it with a handful of games. In years gone by, these would have been shown on free TV and, in fact, they were still going to be shown on free TV in the teams' home markets.

The idea was to force cable companies to carry the network year round. That would be the only way to have access to these individual games. The NFL wanted it to be included on cable as a basic service, like CNN or ESPN and not a pay add-on, like HBO or Showtime.

It was a lot to swallow for a few out-of-market games and lots (and lots) of filler.

Unfortunately for the NFL, the cable companies balked and few fans cared. Did you really miss the Broncos - Texans game on December 13 (or the other random match-ups¹)?

This would have all passed quietly, except for this weekend and the Patriots going for an undefeated season. Now the NFL had leverage. Fortunately, it blew up in their faces.

Under enormous pressure from Congress on down, the NFL relented. Now, this marquee game will be seen on the NFL Network, NBC and CBS! In Boston and New York City it will be on a fourth station as well! ABC might as well run the "All-Star Salute to Cheese."

In trying to force the cable companies to carry their network, the NFL didn't have a leg to stand on because of one other move they'd made: NFL Sunday Ticket.

NFL Sunday Ticket is the NFL's package, offering every game live. As much as the cable companies and Dish Network want that (and I'd probably buy it), it is only offered on DirectTV.

This is a guess on my part, but I'll bet Sunday Ticket is the most powerful selling point DirectTV has.

The cable ops (and I) wondered, how the could NFL cry about their fans inability to watch these NFL Network games when it wouldn't provide all the other games to those same poor fans? This is the definition of chutzpah!

There's an old story about a guy who kills his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan. That's the NFL!

I don't know how this will all come out. At some point the NFL will have to accept defeat and decide if this in-house network is really a viable concept.

Is it just me, or is there a cosmic thread which runs through America where we root for the evil, greedy corporation to get its comeuppance. At the moment, I couldn't be happier.

In the Fox house, we will continue to root against the Giants. The Pats achievement is less important.

¹ - NFL Network 2007 Game Schedule

Week 12: Thursday, November 22 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons (Thanksgiving)

Week 13: Thursday, November 29 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys

Week 14: Thursday, December 6 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins

Week 15: Thursday, December 13 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Denver Broncos at Houston Texans

Week 15: Saturday, December 15 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers

Week 16: Thursday, December 20 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams

Week 16: Saturday, December 22 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers

Week 17: Saturday, December 29 at 8:00 PM ET (Live)
New England Patriots at New York Giants

This is it. Today is my last 'in-a-row' day at the TV station.

It's funny. I love my job, but after working 20 of 21 days, I'm ready to leave it for a little while. My short term goal is to lay back and do nothing. I'm not sure that's in the cards.

When you forecast the weather, it's tough to get away from it. This afternoon I got calls from my friend Farrell, flying from Palm Springs, CA to Warsaw, Poland via Chicago.

Chicago... December... Doh!

He made his connection and is sipping champagne somewhere over the murky Atlantic on LOT Airlines Flight 2.

My sister, brother-in-law, niece and her husband weren't so lucky. They called from DTW (Detroit Wayne County), on their way from Ft. Lauderdale to Milwaukee.

Again: Detroit... December... hello!

MKE was closed for plowing and their flight was cancelled! Later, Detroit would get a taste of winter.

While I was answering some weather question, my niece (who I easily could have dropped as an infant) made a snide comment about my forecasting abilities.

God is good. She's stuck in Detroit atoning for her sins.

Snow is coming here Sunday night. I intend on observing while wearing pajamas.

Blogger's addendum: Farrell, upon arrival at Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw, sent this correction:

I'd like to make one small correction, while commending you on your PinPoint (TM) forecast. Over the "murky Atlantic," I was sipping Chateauneuf du Pape, which is the most famous Cotes du Rhone wine in France. It was delicious.

When I first hit the Internet, there was no World Wide Web! Websites were textual affairs with named structures like Gopher, Archie and Veronica.

The world changed when Mosaic and then Netscape Navigator were released. The web became more akin to the printed page. Over time, Netscape Navigator dominated... until Microsoft caught on.

Ciao Netscape.

Yesterday, AOL (the current owner) announced it was the end of the line for Netscape Navigator. A few friends wrote to make sure I knew. And, they all wondered if I would shed a tear?

Nope.

Actually, I see Mozilla Firefox as the natural successor to NN. As long as Firefox stay's in production I'm a happy guy.

Unfortunately, in the time between Internet Explorer's ascent and Firefox's birth, Microsoft decided not to bother following standard HTML and CSS protocols.

Things look different in Internet Explorer than other browsers... because IE does it wrong. But, since they have the vast majority of market share, the other browsers (doing it right) are looked upon as inferior.

Pretty sneaky.

Where was I? Oh, Netscape. Thanks for blazing the trail. I actually already thought you were dead.

Helaine and I are watching tonight's broadcast of the Pats/Giants game. Comcast has it on five channels, plus NFL Network (which I don't buy).

Before the game began, an on-field 'reporter' 'interviewed' NFL commissioner Roger Gooddell. Well, at least that's how it appeared. Certainly, that's how it was intended to appear.

Don't be fooled. It was not a reporter. It was not an interview.

Roger Gooddell was quizzed on NFL Network by an NFL Network employee. As NFL commissioner he controls NFL Network. He is the interviewer's boss.

Which tough, embarrassing questions are you prepared to ask your boss on national television?

Gooddell answered with no follow-up.

This wasn't an interview. It was a stealth press release. That wasn't a reporter. Tonight, he was a PR flack.

That NBC and CBS allowed this to happen on their air is nearly as distasteful as NFL Network doing it.

Helaine and I were lying on the bed watching football (kicked out of the family room by Stef as she caught a Law and Order marathon), when the conversation turned to Toyotathon.

Really. Why would I kid about that?

Toyotathon has been a running joke in our family for years. It was the holiday that followed Thanksgiving.

For years Toyota took advantage of the commercial lull after Christmas to mount a huge TV campaign. Nowadays, the ads are running earlier.

They made one other large change. They stopped using Squire Fridell. I was crushed.

You might not recognize the name, but you've seen him tens of thousands of times. He was friendly and energetic. He was the 'everyman' who enticed you to Toyota. He was the face of Toyotathon for nearly 30 years!

So, there we were watching football and discussing Squire Fridell when I decided to see what ever happened to him. As is often the case, he wasn't tough to find.

Squire Fridell is a vintner - proprietor, with his wife, of GlenLyon Vineyards and Winery in Glen Ellen, California. Judging by his picture on their website, he's doing well and looking healthy.

I don't know him, but I decided to drop him an email anyway and tell him we'd been talking about him. Who doesn't like knowing they're being thought of?

It was nice he wrote back and even better he wrote back cleverly!

I've come to the conclusion he really is that nice guy they wanted portrayed on TV... true life typecasting by Toyota. I'm glad I sent the email.

I just got off the phone with the police. It was the last thing I wanted to do.

For the last three and a half hours our next door neighbor's alarm system has been going off. It's not continuous, so every minute or two it starts up again. There's really no way to disregard it.

Though these are neighbors we don't speak with, I left a message on their machine.

I'm not sure what the implication of calling the police is. Do they get a ticket? Do the police break in and get someone to turn off the alarm?

Three and a half hours seems to be my limit of my good neighborliness.