AMR's Joint: blog? what blog?

Fix for IE8 corrupt search provider bug

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:10:37 PDT

I experienced this bug from the time I first downloaded the IE8 beta in Nov 2008, but it wasn't a huge problem as I don't use IE for anything except the Windows Update site and the now defunct yahoo launchcast. I waited in vain as the production version failed to fix the bug, as did an uninstall/reinstall. What DID work for my XP Pro SP3 machine is the fix described here:

http://blog.kirb.us/2009/03/20/a-program-on-your-computer-has-corrupted-your-default-search-provider-setting-for-internet-explorer/

Note that this is also the fix suggested by Michael Agens in post #8 (who as you will see is NOT the MS employee in the thread).

I hope this helps someone!

and you call yourself a football team

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:06:56 PDT

i was reading the paper the other day, after yet another abismal start to the season only to notice that Duke had put an ad in the paper for a kicker. i knew they were bad, but this is a new low. Scrapper Nation has documented this occasion, complete with a pic of the actual ad that was placed.

2007 AL EAST CHAMPS!

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:14:22 PDT

For the first time since 1995, the Boston Red Sox are the division champs. Unfortunately the Yanks had an amazing second half to resurrect their season and have claimed the wild card, so they are still a threat. I guess no one told Papelbon it was okay to wear shorts!

ESPN - Mosley acknowledges using steroids from BALCO - Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:06:07 PDT

ESPN - Mosley acknowledges using steroids from BALCO - Boxing

It's unconscionable that in this day and age professional athletes think they can get away with claiming that they are not at fault because "[they] didn't know what the hell it was". These guys train hard and pay good money to push the boundaries and get whatever edge they can. There's no way they let anyone give them anything or put anything on them without knowing exactly what it was....

if the brits can do it

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:15:49 PDT

...why can't we?

img credit: Phil Noble/Press Association

Gay Britons Serve in Military With Little Fuss, as Predicted Discord Does Not Occur
By Sarah Lyall, for the New York Times

Since the British military began allowing homosexuals to serve in the armed forces in 2000, none of its fears — about harassment, discord, blackmail, bullying or an erosion of unit cohesion or military effectiveness — have come to pass, according to the Ministry of Defense, current and former members of the services and academics specializing in the military. The biggest news about the policy, they say, is that there is no news. It has for the most part become a nonissue.
full article

i've started perusing the nytimes more frequently to augment the horribly inadequate hourly cnn trawls. to be honest, although i am greatly concerned about our involvement in iraq, i've never really thought about more than the troops in combat. Don't Ask, Don't Tell became public policy when i was but a wee middle schooler (1993), more concerned with winning games and doing well in school than anything else.

With the extended tours of duty it is impossible for us to maintain troop levels for too much longer without putting everyone at (even more) risk. Why is it that in 2007 we're more concerned with what a soldier does in the bedroom on their own time than their ability to fight for our country?

...the guy's only doing it for some doll

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:24:11 PDT

this weekend, we finally had our last run of performances for the spring hoof n' horn show @ duke -- guys & dolls. the graduation weekend shows were really different from the april ones, and not just because the pit was huge and full of new people. the orchestra director was great, but much less laid back than the original one, so it the atmosphere wasn't quite as chill. here are a few clips from our production. can you hear the clarinet? :-p

Bushel and A Peck

Adelaide's Lament - feat. Haley Swindal

Take Back Your Mink

Sue Me - feat. Haley Swindal and Matthew Colabrese

back again (or am i?)

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:09:21 PDT

i don't think anyone bothers coming here anymore (can't say i blame you), but, for what it's worth, i'm back. i couldn't let an entire baseball season go by without some sort of comment, esp given that as of may 13, 2007 the bosox were 8 games up on the not-so-mighty yankees. if the sox are up by 12+ in june when clemens returns i don't see the yanks catching them, barring multiple major injuries.

Don't cry Bobby, you can try for a hit again tomorrow (photo: Ted S. Warren/AP)

p.s. as much as i like the originality of the look, realistically, i'm never gonna invest the time to upgrade it to new blogger standards so i guess i'll be going back to a not so original look if i decide to start posting regularly again. boo.

i demand a recount!

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:11:44 PST

can someone explain to me why Tony Romo's going to the 2007 Pro Bowl while deserving guys like Tom Brady sits at home? (yes, i do realize they play in different conferences so he's not directly taking brady's spot, but the point is that a player shouldn't be picked based on a few flashy games). and yes, i do realize i'm biased but it's my blog so there :-p

a-hacking we will go

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 21:40:54 PST

just switched to the new blogger and finding yourself lost trying to figure out how to apply some advanced features to your blog? check out the blogger beta hack feed. it's awesome, i promise :-). now, if only i could find some free time....

success

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:08:10 PST

i guess the ease with which i was able to migrate the church blog piqued my interest enough to take the plunge. so much for "waiting things out for awhile :-p". thankfully, it all went through without a hitch. i'm not looking forward to trying to upgrade this template, however. it just might be time for a complete redesign.

i still echo chuck, however, and leave you with a word of caution: take every precaution prior to migration to reduce the chance of disaster!

please excuse the dust

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 23:46:07 PST

EDITOR'S NOTE:

this blog has been (and remains) a work in progress. ~~the legibility of the links is the next order of business.~~

12/16 update: success, courtesy of echoecho.com. thanks!
not sure yet what's next. but i'm thinking migration may be in order soon....

beta blogger: not for everyone

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 23:41:45 PST

Wikipedia describes a beta as:

A beta version or beta release usually represents the first version of a computer program that implements all features in the initial software requirements specification. It is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, as a technical preview (TP) or as an early access. As the second major stage in the release lifecycle, following the alpha stage, it is named after the Greek letter beta, the second letter in the Greek alphabet. read more...

it applies well for the pending version of blogger (version 3.0, currently called blogger beta). unfortunately, they don't point users to wikipedia (or anywhere), when offering the choice of an upgrade. given the level of activity in the blogger help forum, and the types of problems being reported, combined with the part where account migration is irreversible, i'm content to wait things out for awhile until the dust settles.

i love google and use many google-branded products (gmail, calendar, reader, etc), but i think they've really slipped up with the way they're handling things in this case.

shame on you google!

so what's a blogger to do? hang tight and plan ahead!

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doing my best, to do my duty

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:54:28 PST

while i don't think google-bombing should be used haphazardly, in this case i think it's justified. here's my (albeit meager) contribution. Want to know what's going on? Check out Tom Hoffman's blog. I think he explains it very well.

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

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this is what's wrong with today's america

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 23:37:25 PST

i know i don't usually post this sort of stuff, but it's ridiculous that this still happens in 2006.

Firehouse [dog] chow served to firefighter costs city $2.7M
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The city of Los Angeles is paying $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit from a black firefighter who claims he suffered racial discrimination after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food.
The Los Angeles City Council approved the award Wednesday, 11 to 1.
In his lawsuit, firefighter Tennie Pierce, 51, said after he took a bite of the meal two years ago, he noticed other firefighters laughing. He demanded to know what was in the food after a second bite but nobody answered.
Pierce said he suffered retaliation for reporting the incident and verbal slurs, insults and derogatory remarks, including taunting by firefighters "barking like dogs [and] asking him how dog food tasted," the lawsuit said.
David Wellman, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz hired by Pierce's attorney, said the association of a black man and dog food "resonates with the deep historical roots of slavery and the corresponding dehumanization."
"It's not just silly stuff. It's racially motivated," he said.
As part of the settlement, the two captains involved were given one month off without pay, and a firefighter was ordered off work for three days without pay.
"I truly hope that my case will make a difference for African-Americans in the Los Angeles Fire Department," Pierce said in a statement. -cnn.com story

one month without pay? how about getting fired? you can be sure that if the situation had been reversed that it wouldn't have taken a lawsuit for Mr. Pierce to be punished (and fired). money can't buy dignity.

pick your pony

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 00:14:59 PST

There are many who think otherwise, but it's right about now that I'm thinking that the I-AA Columbia Lions would have more than a simple fighting chance against the I-A Duke Blue Devils. Sure they both suck at football, but it will be a few months until the good hoops games get going so humor me, why don't you...

Blue Devils fall flat after fast start - Duke Chronicle

It may have been a different first verse, but it was the same old song for Duke Saturday.

The Blue Devils (0-9) extended the nation's longest losing streak to 17 with a 38-13 drubbing at the hands of Navy (6-3) in Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke's defense gave up 435 yards on the ground to the second-best rushing offense in the nation. Navy quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada attempted just four passes in his second career start but rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. more

You know you're in trouble when the other team's QUARTERBACK puts up those kinds of numbers on the ground.

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feeling safe?

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 03:01:12 PDT

Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of the Week

I am all for rules, airline and otherwise, that protect our safety. But last Wednesday, after walking through a security line at LaGuardia, I saw the total fruitlessness of this you-can't-take-gels-or-liquids-on-airplanes rule, designed to protect us from those who would take explosive liquids or gels on planes. A fortyish man, traveling in business togs, put his briefcase, laptop and shoes on the security belt and walked through the X-ray machine. No beep. He collected his stuff, walked a few steps down the line, put his laptop back in his case, and then took a tube of toothpaste out of one pocket and a bottle of contact-lens solution out of another, then put both in his briefcase. That sort of defeats the purpose of the anti-liquid rule and pretty much makes a mockery of it all. --SI.com Monday Morning QB

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it's on cnn so it must be okay

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 01:28:48 PDT

Judge: Employee Web surfing not unreasonable
NEW YORK (AP) -- Surfing the Web at work is equivalent to reading a newspaper or talking on the phone, an administrative law judge said in recommending the lightest possible punishment for a city worker accused of disregarding warnings to stay off the Internet. full story via cnn.com

i suggest you print this article to whip out the next time your boss catches you surfing on company time...

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mohawk

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 20:43:49 PDT

Pap (ie 25 yr old Red Sox closer, Jonathan Papelbon) doesn't look too happy, does he. no matter, maybe he'll learn not to make stupid bets.

it's okay...as long as he keeps on "losing" he'll make us all happy campers!

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that's what friends are for

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 20:45:47 PDT

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Reed Johnson is a good friend to have.

Johnson paid for [old friend sergeant Jim] Diaz and his wife and son to fly to Toronto to take in the two-game series against the Yankees. Johnson put up Diaz and his family in a hotel and persuaded the team to issue Diaz everything from a Blue Jays hat down to a pair of baseball spikes.[more] via mlb.com

Not a bad way to spend your 15 day leave. Reed Johnson, you're all right.

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are some lives worth more than others?

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 01:21:48 PDT

He Qingzhi's teenage daughter, Yuan, and her two friends lived on the same street near the Yangtze River, attended the same middle school and were crushed to death in the same traffic accident late last year.

After that, the symmetry ended: Under Chinese law, Yuan's life was worth less than the others. more, int'l herald tribune

if the death of your child is not bad enough, could you imagine having to fight for equal compensation in the midst of your grief? forgive me, but i thought this was the 21st century...

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retirement, please

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 20:31:25 PDT

After an abismal rehab start in AAA-Pawtucket, David Wells finally made his first start of the season this past wednesday [recap]. I feel like deja vu, or something, because this is not much better than how he started out last year. Seems to me he's 42 now, and clearly not improving. This past offseason he asked for a trade to the Padres, to be closer to home...maybe it's time to think about retirement? then he could spend all the time he wants in SD.

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living above the rim

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 22:40:46 PDT

Redick beats out Young, Bush for Sullivan Award
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Duke star J.J. Redick won the Sullivan Award on Wednesday night, becoming the first men's basketball player since Bill Walton in 1973 to be honored as the nation's top amateur athlete. Redick beat out Texas quarterback Vince Young, who led the Longhorns to a national title with a win in the Rose Bowl over Southern California and its two Sullivan Award finalists -- Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. [espn.com]

How often does a skinny white kid who's not even considered a top 5 draft prospect win out over Heisman trophy winners and olympic gold medalists? Maybe this will help ease the pain of never winning the big one. you go boy.

ed. note: yes, i am aware of the fact that young mr. redick only dunked twice in his entire career, but you've gotta love this pic, with sheldon williams ("the landlord)" looking on in the background).

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r.i.p., maggie

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:14:54 PDT

Maggie Dixon's funeral was today. Who's Maggie Dixon? The 28 yr old first year coach of West Point (Army)'s women's basketball team who, just one month ago, was basking in the excitement of the team having earned it's first march madness tournament berth ever. To make a great story even better, Dixon and her brother, Jamie, coach of Pittsburg's men's basketball team, became the first sister-brother coaching combination to ever have teams make the tournament in the same year.

Autopsy Showed Dixon Had Enlarged Heart
Associated Press
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- A month ago, 28-year-old Army coach Maggie Dixon left the Christl Arena court on the shoulders of jubilant cadets after leading the women's basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament berth.
On Friday, Dixon was mourned in a chapel across from the U.S. Military Academy's campus, a day after she died following an "arrhythmic episode to her heart."
Dixon died Thursday night at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., academy spokesman Lt. Col. Kent Cassella said. [espn.com]

R.I.P., Maggie. You will be missed.

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rush being rush?

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:55:50 PDT

I never liked Rush Limbaugh, but this just adds fuel to the fire. It's a shame that he's worked so hard to become the face of the American political right. I'll admit that the liberals have made their share of bonehead comments (case in point, my fair senators), but that certainly doesn't make it "okay". Just another occasion of "Rush being Rush"?

Media Matters: Limbaugh called alleged Duke rape victim a "ho[ ]"
During the March 31 broadcast of his national syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh referred to the alleged victim of a rape by members of the Duke University lacrosse team as a "ho[]." [media matters]

Take a stand! The media matters site linked above has contact info for Mr. Limbaugh, along with some tips on how to communicate effectively with the media.

via CrayonPeople.com

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fear the turtle

noreply@blogger.com (amr) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 01:42:02 PDT

On the ladies side, the Duke Blue Devils fell short in their latest attempt to capture the ncaa crown, losing 78-75 to Maryland, a team they had lost to just once in the previous 15 tries. The Blue Devils were up 13 at one point, and just as they did in an early season Carolina game, they blew it down the stretch, resulting in the 2nd biggest comeback in women's tournament history. A huge turning point was what could end up being the most clutch 3 pt shot of freshman Kristi Toliver's college career-- the one that tied the game up at the end of regulation (see below). It doesn't take much to tell that i'm a Duke fan, but I have to give Maryland credit for getting the job done. Better luck next year, ladies. (fun fact: Gail Goestenkors is the coach with the 4th best tournament record, [34-12 = 0.739], but each of the three coaches ahead of her have at least 2 titles.)

Fear the Turtle!

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