whitebread

In the men’s bathroom:

1. Wash your hands. With soap. You know who recommends this, besides me? The Centers for Disease Control. That little spritz of water isn’t going to wash the herpes off your hands, it’s just going to make them mobile so they wind up on the doorknob, you asshole.
2. If you must use the stall to urinate, PUT THE SEAT UP. Your aim isn’t that good. Nobody’s is. Even if it were, you’re still splashing water loaded with excrement onto the seat. And nobody wants to sit in that.

Edit:
B informs me that “Chlamydia is far more likely to be found on your hands”
Which makes me feel so much better!

When valgrind reports that you’re using an uninitialized value, and you’re absolutely certain you initialized the variable it’s reporting, know this:

Valgrind is LYING TO YOU.

What to do:
Look at the lines of code preceding the one valgrind is complaining about, and you’ll probably find your uninitialized value.

On a separate issue, if anyone can tell me what is going on here I would be most grateful:

==13298== —- Attach to debugger ? — [Return/N/n/Y/y/C/c] —- y
==13298== starting debugger with cmd: /usr/bin/gdb -nw /proc/13299/fd/1014 13299
GNU gdb 6.8-debian
Copyright (C) 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type “show copying”
and “show warranty” for details.
This GDB was configured as “i486-linux-gnu”…
(no debugging symbols found)
Attaching to program: /proc/13299/fd/1014, process 13299
Cannot access memory at address 0×5c893818
A program is being debugged already. Kill it? (y or n) y
/proc/13299/fd/1014: Permission denied.

D may have gone off the reservation but things like this

  <keybind key="C-A-Up">
    <action name="Execute"><execute>aumix -v +5</execute></action>
  </keybind>
  <keybind key="C-A-Down">
    <action name="Execute"><execute>aumix -v -5</execute></action>
  </keybind>

will keep me using openbox for the foreseeable future.

I’m not so naive as to think he’ll accomplish all he says, or that he’s everything I want in a president. But I believe in the things he says, and I’ll tell you this:

I never once rode for George Bush.

Take three weeks off, put 30psi more in the tires, then return to the bike. Your legs will feel like diesel pistons.

“One hand clutching a sword raised to the sky”

They (MSNBC) covered what the Obama girls were having for lunch. They covered it, and covered it, and covered it. And then they end with “For those of you asking at home, ‘Is what they’re having for lunch really news?’, consider what’s in your commissary for lunch”.

In fact it’s not news, and that it is being presented as such is disgraceful.

To the extent that we’re now judging journalism by the same standards that we apply to entertainment — in other words, give the public what it wants, not necessarily what it ought to hear, what it ought to see, what it needs, but what it wants — that may prove to be one of the greatest tragedies in the history of American journalism.

Ted Koppel, being interviewed for Frontline.

Recently the D had a close encounter of the pissed off puppy kind, so I thought it would be worthwhile to restate things mentioned earlier.
Note: if you were unaware, the D is fine.

If you are cycling, and a dog approaches you barking:

1. Do not assume the dog is friendly.
2. Slow down as quickly as is possible safely. (Read about how to do this correctly.)
3. Get (and keep) the bike between you and the dog. Use the bike as a weapon as necessary.
4. If you get bit, call 911.
5. After 911, don’t hesitate to call me for extraction.

Regarding 911: Don’t think about it, don’t try to decide if you should, just call the number and try your best to stay calm.
There are a number of reasons for getting an officer on the scene. There needs to be a report filed if the dog needs to be taken off the streets, and it’s much, much safer for you to have an officer taking the address of the dog owner.

Regarding step 2:
It seems counter-intuitive, and will be counter-instinctual –barking dogs generally engage the “flight” response– but I really think this is the best course of action.
If the dog gets caught in your spokes, gets it’s mouth on your leg/foot, or just gets in front of you, you’re in a lot of trouble. Dogs aren’t that smart, and bikes aren’t that
heavy, so you can generally keep maneuvering the bike as a shield once you’re off it.

There’s poetry in sickness
Life is beautiful and cruel
That’s just the way it is

And I can sleep but I can’t rest
They say that “your songs are the best”
And I am still a young man

Here’s to the new year. May she be a damn sight better than the last one, and may we all be home before she’s through.

Happy New Year everyone.
Stay safe, and keep in touch.