I saw the new Indiana Jones movie last night, and was impressed. After George Lucas thoroughly destroyed my interest in his other franchise, I was not expecting a whole lot. This movie was on par with the originals, which I re-watched a few months ago. It had plenty of action, cheesy dialog, and cool mechanical stone contraptions that attempt to kill trespassers.
The big thing I did not like about the movie was that it was set in the 1950s, rather than during WWII. The setting was a big part of the original three, and Indiana seemed out of place in this new setting.
Highly recommended, especially if you liked the originals.
Why are online scams profitable? Who is falling for them? I recently tried to sell a bike on Craigslist, and received this message from kateandy101@gmail.com :
Hello,
I’m interested in getting this item purchased ASAP but Do you still have it available? Also, are you selling for the first time on craigslist or you’ve made a couple of sales before? Let me know if its still up for sale.
Regards,
Kate
That message was a little weird, but so are a lot of people, so I figured I’d reply.
No one else has committed to buying it yet, and it’s still available
until someone does.
As far as previous sales on CL, I’ve sold a few bike parts, sold one
complete bike, and given away a free bike.
Thanks.
Five minutes later, I get a response:
Hi,
Thanks for your reply concerning my enquiry.I will be makingthe payment by Money Order so once the money order is received and clears in your bank, I will send my shipping company to come and pick it up at your place…Okay? I would have come to see but i am very busy with my son coz he is ill. So to proceed with the payment I will like to have your contact address and phone number for payment today so that the money could be delivered latest tomorrow or Next after all arrangement.
Thanks for your understanding and please note that it is needed urgently so I will like to hear from you soon.
Best Regards,
Kate
At this point it became obvious this this was an some type of advanced fee scam, so I didn’t bother going any farther. Who would fall for this? Could anyone believe that someone really need a bike so urgently that they would go through such trouble?
I tried making Jade garlic again. This time, it did not turn green. It tastes alright though. Maybe it is the wrong season?
So my iMac that I bought in November of 2007 just died. I was working on the camera ready version of a conference paper, and it just turned off. I tried to turn it back on, and nothing happened. At least it’s still under warranty.
Then, for a few minutes, I could not get my laptop to associate with my wireless access point. Sitting here, without an internet connection, I felt so useless.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The jade garlic was terrible. I tried five different cloves, and they were all far too bitter. I’m going to try buying better garlic, and maybe growing my own. The garlic available at my local Acme and Superfresh vary far too much in quality.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Yesterday, a co-worker and I had to get from the Southwestern quadrant of Washington DC to Union Station. I looked up taxis on my phone, and got found two phone numbers. The first one, “Welcome Taxi Cab Services” did not answer the phone. The second one, “Taxi Transportation Services” answered and said they would send one “right away,” and that they would call if there were any problems. Half an hour later we were still standing in the cold, waiting. So I called back. They said, “oh, we’re still trying to get you a taxi, when do you need it by?” They said they would send us one “right now.” Forty-five minutes after the second phone call, they still had not shown up, but we had deciphered the bus schedule. For $2.55, we got back to union station in under an hour. I never got a phone call.
If you need to get around in DC, I don’t recommend “Taxi Transportation Services” (202) 398 0500. I do, however, recommend the Metro.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Jade garlic is made by soaking garlic in vinegar for twenty days in a cold environment. It turns green in this time, hence the name. I have tried making it three times before. The first time it turned out pretty well. The second time, it was far too bitter. The third time, it was mediocre.
I did not record my process in the past, and that makes it hard to figure out where I went wrong. So, I am going to start recording my progress here.
Last night I peeled three bulbs of garlic. The garlic available around here is pretty bad, and usually has discolorations in the flesh. I cut those out. Then, I put it in a tupperware container and filled it with vinegar. After January 24th, I’ll report back with my results.