tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81449455519442451702024-03-13T09:30:18.071-07:00Random ThoughtsDave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-48702203246345429422009-12-25T21:53:00.000-08:002009-12-25T22:11:05.423-08:00The Late, Late ShowThe original War of the Worlds is on T.V. tonight. It's one of my favorite movies for a lot of reasons. It's good Sci-Fi, was well made and is considered a classic. I've been watching it at home with my wife, Wendy, and she keeps talking about how scary a movie it is.She asked me when I first saw it and it reminded me of the primary reason it's one of my favorite movies.It was 42 years ago Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-84159586885138970272009-12-07T12:38:00.000-08:002009-12-07T13:20:36.023-08:00Scientific SanityDespite my own contributions to global warming, I do, actually, care about the environment. I also care about the scientific method.I was raised to question everyone and everything. I've always felt that having a robust, open discussion where all facts are available to all participants contributes to growing the overall knowledge of each of us. For some reason, though, there appears to be a Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-11935659426588305622009-11-24T12:40:00.000-08:002009-11-24T15:33:53.490-08:00Health Care RationingI get the flu shot every year and have done so for about the last decade. This year was no different and I got the seasonal flu shot a couple of months ago. But, then came H1N1 - the dreaded swine flu.The U.S. government promised plenty of vaccines for everyone who needs one and everyone who wants one. Apparently, everything hasn't gone according to plan and rationing needs to occur so we haveDave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-54025127301384756422009-10-04T13:04:00.000-07:002009-10-04T13:27:27.831-07:00Koala Bears? In San Carlos?My wife, Wendy, goes on a lot of hikes with our dogs. Counting our daughter Lindsey's dog, Mummers, it becomes a pack of three dogs. Our dogs range in size from 8 pounds on up to almost 70. I've written about Sammy before. Sammy being a Pekingese, is the smallest of the group and is also the oldest, approaching 14 years of age. Sammy can't keep up with the rest and certainly can't go the Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-2085321539353685462009-09-29T09:27:00.000-07:002009-09-29T09:47:50.620-07:00School bus stopsThe last blog entry reminded me of my own misspent childhood and the ways that I would while away the time waiting for the school bus.After the seventh grade my parents move to Arnold, Maryland. Because of the rapid growth in the area I had to go to a split-shift school for the eighth grade. The school split the day into two parts, a morning and an afternoon shift. I felt very fortunate to be Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-9612025250346001102009-09-29T09:09:00.000-07:002009-09-29T09:27:01.935-07:00Insane government intrusionHere's an article describing the latest in government insanity.Here's the scenario: There's a school bus stop in front of Lisa Snyder's home. Some of Lisa's friends drop their children off at Lisa's house to wait for the school bus with Lisa's daughter. Lisa has received a letter from the state of Michigan telling her that she's breaking the law by running an un-licensed day-care facility.JustDave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-48004683735286772952009-09-29T08:27:00.000-07:002009-09-29T09:05:03.343-07:00For the love of sorbetThe last time I was in Louisiana, as I often do in Louisiana, I went out to dinner with Wendy's parents. I've had the pleasure of eating at some of the finest dining establishments in the state and highly recommend the food and, in my particular case, the company.On occasion, though, we have some interesting interactions that make me wonder if I see things just a little differently. We were in Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-85678947562483297872009-09-11T21:36:00.001-07:002009-09-11T22:13:59.497-07:00Temporal ConfusionAll relationships need time to mature and become entities unto themselves. The long-term nature of many marriages allows the participants the needed time to understand one another.Many people who have been married a long time finish one another's sentences.Other long-time married couples just seem to know what the other is thinking.Early in my marriage, not long after we had moved into our new Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-19865406645367096502009-09-11T16:42:00.000-07:002009-09-11T16:50:17.147-07:00Remembering...This is something I wrote on September 13, 2001. It wasn't meant for anyone other than my wife, Wendy. My parents were visiting us in California on 9/11 and, like many others, we were stunned by what had happened just two days prior. I struggled to find a way of telling Wendy what I thought so I sat down and started writing.I hadn't re-read the piece since I originally wrote it. Having Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-49424955103886587752009-08-24T19:09:00.000-07:002009-08-24T19:21:31.810-07:00Lost AgainI'm a big do-it-yourselfer at my house. I've done pretty much everything related to building or maintaining a house with the exclusion of laying bricks. I've built my own wiring closet with an independent cooling system. I've installed whole-house audio, video and networking systems. I find a lot of pleasure and relaxation in doing this work. It starts with not being afraid to screw it Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-2895895697667078012009-08-22T08:50:00.000-07:002009-08-22T09:08:06.314-07:00Bright LightsThere's a never-ending supply of disturbing tactics being uncovered every day in the health-care process. Remember, the original plan was to get a health-care bill passed by congress and signed by the president in only a few short weeks. There was considerable concern within the administration and the democratic party that if congress went into recess that they wouldn't be able to pass a Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-78238126659335679322009-08-21T16:25:00.000-07:002009-08-21T18:15:29.523-07:00Goal SettingOne of the most important steps towards success in any endeavor is to identify the goal. What is it that you want to achieve?This is harder than it sounds and appears to be nearly impossible with regards to the current health-care debate. Both sides of the debate use this difficulty to distort the other side and to sell their side harder. "Pulling the plug on grandma" is a theme that is Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-27709699821437459582009-08-18T22:02:00.001-07:002009-08-18T22:15:21.050-07:00The Logic Of It AllYears ago in a former life I was in a meeting that seemed to drag on forever. We were debating 'round and 'round without any end in sight. I finally had enough and spoke up, laying out in what I thought was a very logical argument on how to proceed.There was one fellow in the group who disagreed with me quite strongly and pushed back rather vociferously.We went back and forth for far too long Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-67343753058154340212009-08-17T14:51:00.000-07:002009-08-17T20:05:13.511-07:0080/20 rulesI don't know why the 80/20 rule is specified for so many things. I'm not sure if it's just convenient or if it has some instinctive feel that rings true for us.I used to have an 80/20 rule when I was working and used it extensively when working with the people who reported to me and was especially fervent in communicating the rule to the managers who worked for me. It was based on something Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-70741109017190603902009-08-02T07:50:00.001-07:002009-08-02T08:18:27.378-07:00Schooling...I'm a bit hard-headed and that probably explains, more than anything else, why I didn't finish college. I used to get in arguments with professors and students alike about the role of the university and what I expected for my money.College, to me, was all about getting an education and then using that education, along with all of my other resources, to make something of myself and contribute Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-4485316340796536812009-07-16T10:57:00.000-07:002009-07-16T11:18:26.253-07:00RationingThere's a lot of debate going on right now concerning government provided health-care in the United States. I haven't been paying much attention because health care, apparently, is now the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States and is a complete, unmitigated disaster - at least, according to the proponents of government provided doctoring.This subject is one of the hot topics Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-88124368512481684592009-07-14T13:20:00.000-07:002009-07-14T14:04:58.308-07:00Bragging RightsIf you don't want to read about me tooting my own horn then move on, this isn't for you.I started playing golf about 9 1/2 years ago. Those of you who know me know that I'm obsessed with the game and I'm blessed to be able to play almost every day.There are many challenges in golf and many achievements for which all players strive and each goal achieved simply creates another. When we finally Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-79688076706832488232009-06-30T08:03:00.000-07:002009-06-30T08:57:35.779-07:00Back on the lakeI just came back from another trip to Lake Powell. It was another week of boating, fishing, camping, drinking, eating and sleeping - fun for all.The biggest change in Lake Powell is its level. Before we shoved off we were told that the lake was rising 5 inches a day. Given the size of the lake this is a massive increase.The photos above show one of our favorite campsites near Oak Canyon. The Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-16625328238642064812009-06-15T20:25:00.000-07:002009-06-15T20:35:18.344-07:00Newest Family MemberThis is Buddy, the newest member of our family. Buddy is a rescued foundling.Wendy's brother, Jim, owns a tree farm near the Louisiana-Mississippi border which he visits every week or so. On one visit back in December he heard barking as he got out of his truck.When he investigated he found this dog, about 1/2 its current size, living under the house in a hole he dug and had filled with leaves.Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-72200419218320354102008-12-31T08:53:00.000-08:002008-12-31T09:03:50.228-08:00Someone who loves golf more than even I...I'm always moved by those who overcome whatever obstacles are thrown their way to achieve their goals. I never understand the people I see on the golf course who are unhappy. I understand that some people just want to be miserable but the golf course, to me, is a place of peace and tranquility - even when I'm playing my worst. As frustrating as it is I always remember that my worst day on the Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-32756180134740467432008-03-12T07:07:00.000-07:002008-03-12T07:26:36.054-07:00Bessie Bergeron (B.B.) HernandezI just returned from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where I payed my final respects to my wife's grandmother, B.B. B.B. was born 103 years ago on October 3, 1904 in Erwinville, Louisiana. March 2, 2008 was her last day on earth.The photo at right was taken when my wife presented a landscape quilt to B.B. for her 100th birthday. The quilt depicts B.B. childhood home. You can see more about the quilt at Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-85276620410048657312008-02-25T19:17:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:28:08.503-08:00Golf and CigarsI don't get it. I just don't get it. I play a lot of golf. About 15% of the people with whom I play smoke cigars. Many of my friends smoke cigars when on the golf course and I-just-don't-get-it.Many of the people I know took up cigar smoking later in life. To me, it seems that they took it up as a means of being "cool". I always thought that if you survived into your twenties after all the Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-72352943245411277992008-02-25T18:48:00.000-08:002008-02-25T19:10:46.849-08:00More Microsoft, this time with YahooAfter Microsoft's latest Vista failings around SP1 (it was supposed to release in 2007), I started thinking a little more about their interest in acquiring Yahoo.Microsoft has a history of being late to new ideas, usually having to ridicule them a good bit before having a go at it themselves. The internet was one of those things and ad-based revenue with searches was another. Microsoft, rather Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-51793202121547636042008-02-20T07:24:00.001-08:002008-02-20T07:46:33.977-08:00Supply, Demand and SubsidiesImagine for a moment that you produce a product. Your product is not only popular, some would even consider it necessary. There is no practical regulation on what you charge for your product. Now, imagine that the popularity/necessity of your product convinces politicians that they should make it easier for people to buy your product through subsidies. Yet, there are still no regulations on Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144945551944245170.post-49937532659876769602008-02-19T16:54:00.000-08:002008-02-19T17:28:56.513-08:00Dave's Product ReviewsI've been bored lately. There's really not a lot going on in the software world at the moment. We see the occasional acquisition but we seem to be in more of a stage of fine evolution rather than gross level revolution. So I've had a chance to play with some stuff and I thought I'd share my findings.I have a fairly new computer (well, new for me, it's about a year old) that came with Vista Dave Dargohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09100903241709221805noreply@blogger.com1