Come On Down


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&#176 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.

&#176 – Long running, yes. Original, no! Price was on NBC when I was a kid, hosted by Bill Cullen.

Hard Luck at the Hard Rock

It didn’t take long for my first scheduling snafu. I had planned on seeing my friend Wendie while in Florida. I had changed the day three or four times, trying to make things mesh. I just never told my parents.

This afternoon in the car my mom told me she and my dad would be going to a concert while I went to dinner with Wendie. Uh… that’s Wednesday.

Thank heavens for cell phones. Before we were off the highway the dinner had been moved to tonight. We would meet at the Hard Rock Casino near Ft. Lauderdale after she was done at work.

I borrowed my folks car and headed south on Florida’s Turnpike. The trip was uneventful. I got off at Exit 53, turned left, turned right and right again to the casino.

At about that point the car started riding rough. I was worried something had gone wrong in the transmission. As soon as I got out I knew the problem was a little more pedestrian.

The left rear tire was flat. We’re not talking low here – this puppy was ready to fall off the rim. I called Wendie to tell her where to find me and then called AAA.

In Connecticut I have found AAA to be fine and very helpful. Not here – certainly not tonight.

I called and was told it would be an hour. When the hour was up, I called. “The trucks on the way.” When it didn’t show up, I called again… and again.

The truck showed up 1:45 after I placed the call! I am steaming.

Meanwhile, about 1:35 after placing the call I asked the valet attendant if he’d change it (and I’d pay him). The tow truck showed up as we were finishing. My folks Honda now sports three full size tires and one little donut.

Finally Wendie and I went in for dinner. The inside of the Hard Rock reminds me of their Las Vegas hotel. Except here there are no table games – no blackjack or craps – only slot machines and poker.

Our dinner was at the Hard Rock Restaurant, which considering it was Monday and by now late, was pretty empty. Wendie and I both had salads. Mine was excellent and she said she enjoyed hers as well.

Wendie is not a night person, so she headed home and I headed to the poker area. It’s not a room but an area cordoned off. As I approached I could see the entire rail area was full of people standing, waiting. I wasn’t getting in!

I picked up my car at the valet only to find this was the first casino valet that charged – $5.

I took it slow, considering one tire was not like the others. In the morning we’ll deal with getting it repaired or replaced.

Blinking Lights

Right before I go to bed, after I turn the lights off in my office, I look back into the darkened room – only to see what looks like a miniature airport. Everywhere you look there are tiny lights. Some are steady. Some blink. Some used to be steady but now blink or quiver with age.

Why are they all there? Why does every new piece of electronic equipment seem to need a light?

Most are dumb. They’re saying, “Hey, I’m plugged in” and nothing more. Some, like the light connected to the charging circuit on my camcorder, blink according to how close to fully charged the battery is.

My cable modem has five lights. One, the test light, is never on. I don’t know how to test the test light. It might be burned out. How would I know? Three others, Power, Cable and PC, remain lit ’round the clock. The data light blinks incessantly as computers from around the world attempt to connect to my computers.

That’s not a good thing.

The blinking data light is chronicling the computer equivalent of walking down the block, stopping at every door and jiggling the doorknob to see if it’s unlocked.

The router between my cable modem and computer acts as a defacto firewall, keeping the miscreants out, so this blinking doesn’t mean someone’s hurting me. Still, I know what some of them are trying to accomplish by looking in the log the router keeps.

It used to take a few days to fill the log. Now, it’s full in a few hours. Here’s a sample:

Thursday, December 18, 2003 8:19:35 PM Unrecognized access from 68.163.201.167:3102 to TCP port 17300

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:01:42 PM Unrecognized access from 82.82.167.36:2219 to TCP port 1433

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:01:45 PM Unrecognized access from 82.82.167.36:2219 to TCP port 1433

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:02:00 PM Unrecognized access from 168.158.192.243:1115 to UDP port 1434

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:03:17 PM Unrecognized access from 64.156.39.12:666 to UDP port 1026

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:32:05 PM Unrecognized access from 68.63.66.150:4625 to TCP port 80

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:32:08 PM Unrecognized access from 68.63.66.150:4625 to TCP port 80

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:44:50 PM Unrecognized access from 67.26.94.85:2911 to TCP port 17300

Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:57:23 PM Unrecognized access from 67.201.162.153:2771 to TCP port 17300

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:12:22 PM Unrecognized access from 82.139.65.182:55765 to TCP port 17300

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:39:02 PM Unrecognized access from 203.40.196.206:1239 to UDP port 1434

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:49:17 PM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3380 to TCP port 80

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:49:20 PM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3380 to TCP port 80

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:52:46 PM Unrecognized access from 208.30.189.21:4436 to TCP port 80

Thursday, December 18, 2003 10:52:49 PM Unrecognized access from 208.30.189.21:4436 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:03:32 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:4846 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:03:35 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:4846 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:05:17 AM Unrecognized access from 12.231.175.190:3764 to TCP port 17300

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:31:32 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3089 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:31:35 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3089 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:48:44 AM Unrecognized access from 202.103.172.45:59355 to UDP port 1026

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:56:01 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3359 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:56:04 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:3359 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:57:24 AM Unrecognized access from 210.75.208.22:39452 to TCP port 443

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:57:27 AM Unrecognized access from 210.75.208.22:39452 to TCP port 443

Friday, December 19, 2003 12:57:33 AM Unrecognized access from 210.75.208.22:39452 to TCP port 443

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:26:37 AM Unrecognized access from 203.30.181.253:2136 to TCP port 4899

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:27:04 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:4153 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:30:02 AM Unrecognized access from 67.120.13.53:3296 to TCP port 4000

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:30:04 AM Unrecognized access from 67.120.13.53:3296 to TCP port 4000

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:40:25 AM 192.168.123.101 login successful

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:44:11 AM Unrecognized access from 130.13.127.64:3788 to TCP port 17300

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:44:22 AM Unrecognized access from 66.169.181.90:1030 to TCP port 27347

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:47:39 AM Unrecognized access from 221.6.135.154:1097 to UDP port 1434

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:49:30 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:2594 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:49:32 AM Unrecognized access from 68.63.64.108:2594 to TCP port 80

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:51:12 AM Unrecognized access from 67.119.218.75:4868 to TCP port 901

Friday, December 19, 2003 1:51:15 AM Unrecognized access from 67.119.218.75:4868 to TCP port 901

What does it all mean? Let’s take the first entry.
Thursday, December 18, 2003 8:19:35 PM Unrecognized access from 68.163.201.167:3102 to TCP port 17300

It comes from:

Honda Pen Motorcycles

268 Bush St #5000

San Francisco, CA, 94104

US

I have no idea who Honda Pen Motorcycles is, but they’re assigned 8 Internet addresses, including 68.163.201.167. The addresses are, in turn, controlled by a subsidiary of their local phone company:

Pac Bell Internet Services

208 Bush St. #5000

San Ramon, CA, 94104

US

When Honda Pen Motorcycles’ computer tried to contact mine, they’re probing port 17300. That implies that one of the computers at Honda Pen Motorcycles is infected with the Kuang2 virus. In all likelihood, it’s wandering around the Internet, checking for other infected machines, or machines susceptible to being infected. The folks at the Honda dealership have no clue this is going on, or if they do, don’t know how to stop it.

Thanks guys!

Most of the activity causing my data light to blink doesn’t even show up in the log. Little of it is data I asked for. Less is there for my benefit.

There are dozens of little lights in this room. Some, like the blinking light on my desk phone, I disregard. In fact, I disregard most of them. They’re mostly telling me that appliances without on/off switches are plugged in.

All of these together probably don’t draw as much power as a night light. Still, in the aggregate, all these little lights in homes and offices are causing power plants to burn a little more coal or oil.

However, in their defense, my darkened room look very high tech.