A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

The idea is nice but it's easier to stick to big, bad Microsoft. Firefox has had its share of releases due to security lapses. If you know me, you'll understand I've never been one to beat a drum against the Redmond corporation.

Really what's the point in running to install an open source program when the commerical one comes at no extra cost? I guess it just fits some people's need to root for the underdog but it must not fit into my why-bother attitude.

Still there are thanks to those who innovate as, eventually, Microsoft incorporates those 'new ideas' and this makes someone else's innovations standard. You can get a view of what next year's Windows will include by the way of local computer search. To boot, they've added tabbed browsing which is very convenient. It may even change the way you use the web.

Labels: opinions, software

You know the screech you hear when you put a microphone too close to speakers, don't you? In terms of video, you can get feedback when you point the camera at a live monitor. At the corner of the screen you get a picture within a picture within a picture. When the camera points directly at the center, you get freaky, undulating gobs of light and color. I guess you are witnessing the electronic representation of infinity.

I was going to include a picture taken at the strata-owned patio area near our building's swimming pool. Well, I was going to take a second picture that showed this blog entry on the screen of the computer taken at the strata-owned patio area near our building's swimming pool. So, on the screen you're looking at now you'd be seeing the screen of a computer taken at the strata-owned patio area near our building's swimming pool. And so on.

Unfortunately, my camera batteries died and I was much too lazy to try to approach infinity anyway.

Labels: digital camera, Hardware

Although I spent the first 22 years of my life in New Hamsphire, I had to look on the Internet to find when the fall foliage seasons are.

• weather.com - Northeast US Normal Fall Peaks

Labels: New Hampshire, weather

It just couldn't have happened to me already! I was contemplating what to blog about and my choice's been reduced to a single topic. I was sick yesterday. I was sick enough to walk up to the doctor's office.

No matter how deeply I want to avoid turning into one of those people who complain about every ache and pain, the only topic I can discuss is being ill. No one should be writing about such things during the height of summer. No one should be snuggled under a quilt with a fever when it's close to 28 degrees Centigrade outside.

Monday evening I felt a little bloated and uncomfortable. Later that night, I woke up because of the intense pain I felt under my right arm and breast. (Is that a word for men?) Yesterday, it seemed to be going away so, I ignored the discomfort. Yet Tuesday night I had trouble finding a position where I could fall asleep.



I made an appointment to see my doctor yesterday. I just turned 46 years old the other week and if this what getting old feels like, then, I'd rather not. Dr. DeCouto said that I most probably have inflammation due to a virus. He prescribed a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory. Immediately after one pill, I started feeling better.

Thankfully, I'm working weekends only so this does not interfere with my teaching schedule.

Labels: complaints, New Westminster

Prompted by the Asian tsunami, we donated to the Red Cross. Wanting to make a more lasting impact, we turned to World Vision Canada at the beginning of this year.

We learned about child sponsorship at their web site. Shortly thereafter, we received the child's information packet. If you regularly follow this blog, you'll remember I added the first letter I wrote near the end of February.

Since that time, we've sent and received a few letters. It is nice to know that sponsorship really helps a specific child, as well as his family and community.

A drawing arrived last week from Isuru who is 8 years old. I scanned a small copy to include here. We were pleased to get it along with a letter someone had written for him and the English translation.

Labels: sharing, World Vision

It seems as if the weather's going to continue to be great for most of the week. Hot days are okay but fortunately, it always seems to cool down enough in the evening. This place, I've picked to live, really is ideal. With Jay working, I don't want to pack a picnic or anything. I was wondering what to do today. Maybe it's time to run to Walmart to buy hamster food. I am even tempted to look on NCIX.com to see if there's anything that intrigues me.

Just when I was wondering what I could blog about today, my iPaq buzzed with an event message. Happy Birthday, Sujay.

Labels: Walmart, weather

Labels: Flickr (Page 1)

... from my friends. Here's ANOTHER message which I sent to blogger.com support:

The following list of tickets, show a continuing problem that I'm having with blogger.com. [#221714] was investigated but no solution was found or offered. Subsequent requests for help have gone completely unanswered.

I really feel as though you are letting me down. The only way I have published since the beginning of the summer, is to publish to another host and then manually ftp to my computer and then up to my domain name.

The details are included in the messages stated below, but I can restate if someone WILL ACTUALLY HELP ME.

I understand that customer service must have massive requests for help. Yet, if I'm any indication, then you're doing a horrible job at it.

== Dennis Hurd
www.DennisSylvesterHurd.com/blog/


[#253112] Publishing not progressing. Jul 24
[#246705] No Support from Blogger Jul 12
[#241629] Still refusing to publish to a domain Jul 4
[#221714] Failing to Publish - "Pipe problem" Jun 29
[#223269] Stopped Publishing to Site 4 Days Ago. May 28
[#222761] Blog Not Publishing May 27
[#222463] Broken Pipe May 26

Labels: complaints

I was riding home on the Skytrain yesterday doing what I most like to do; namely, people watching. While some people were incessantly gabbing on their cell phones and others were reading the free newspapers, I was simply watching the other riders.

There was a fat, old Chinese woman. She reminded me greatly of my grandmother. It wasn't really the appearance although I guess that babies and old people from any culture do resemble each other. There was something about her eyes that showed great joy in just existing. It was if she were confidently aware of a lot about life. I could see this even though she was simply sitting there.

Of course, this prompted me to try to find a picture of my mother's mother upon arriving home. We used to call this woman nana and this might have been one of the last pictures I have of her. I would guess this was when she was living with her daughter in Florida and I was there on a visit when working in the Middle East.



Anyway, thanks go to the old Chinese woman for prompting me to scan in this picture of my grandmother, Emily Osgood. (I have blogged a photo of an earlier picture of my Grandmother Hurd which was posted in May of this year.)

Labels: grandmothers, scanned, transit