John Smiley

Philadelphia--what's up?

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:56:00 +0000

Why is it the City of Philadelphia is willing to pay big money for fireworks, but won't sponsor the Mummers, a potential World Series Parade, or God willing, a Superbowl parade?

Lifetime Running Totals

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Year	Runs	Miles	Average Run
2004	149	668.535	4.48
2005	139	850.84	6.12
2006	122	635.57	5.35
2007	133	690.81	5.04
2008	136	684.38	5.03
2009	135	858.68	6.36

Total	410	4406.915	5.38

What I'm currently reading

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Here's what I'm currently reading...

CNN's list of the 50 best jobs in America

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:17:00 +0000

In 2010, I'm going to try to go with a blog theme or series of themes. One thing I'd like to do is create a book of lists---of what, I'm not sure, but in keeping with that theme, here's a post from CNN that lists the 50 best jobs in America

http://bit.ly/6VxTO3

My best selling books

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Have I mentioned that my best selling book are in the C# area?

The Blessed Mother's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:45:00 +0000

This came home with some class material from my daughter's Catholic Elementary School---and I'm repeating it here.

It's important to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I'll be doing that on Christmas morning at Mass while my neighbors, exhausted from decorating, climbing roofs and trees to place lights, shopping and other festive activities, are sleeping in.

The Blessed Mother's Dream

I had a dream Joesph.

I don't understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was about.

The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks.

They had decorated the house and bought new clothes. They had gone shopping many times and bought elaborate gifts.

It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren't for our Son.

They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and placed them under a tree.

Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house.

They had decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look. Oh, it was beautiful.

Everyone was laughing and happy. They were all excited about the gifts.

They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not to our Son.

I don't even think they knew Him.

They never mentioned His name.

Doesn't it seem odd for people to celebrate someone's birthday if they don't know Him?

I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration He would have been intruding.

Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone was so glad, but it made me want to cry.

How sad for Jesus---not to be wanted at His own birthday party.

I'm glad it was just a dream.

How terrible Joseph if it had been real.

Hand Warmers for Running in Cold weather

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:26:00 +0000

I mentioned Hand Warmers for stuffing into my Wells Lamont MechPro Gloves when I run in the morning.

I use a pair of Heatworks Air Activated Hand, Pocket & Glove Warmers. Open them up, and 2 minutes later they're warm--and they stay that way for about 6 hours. I love them.

They're produced by a company called AMMEX, in Tukwila, WA. Website is:

http://www.ammex.com

Their Product Code is HW1. Bar code reads

97383 92831

I ordered a box of 40 pair last year for $28.57 (includes $6 shipping) when I got tired of buying them piecemeal at the Army Navy Store.

I got them from a place called SurvivalCamping---here's their website

http://www.Campingsurvival.com

Washing Instructions---WELLS LAMONT MechPro Gloves

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Washing Instructions are among my most popular blog postings....

I have a pair of Wells Lamont MechPro Insulated Gloves.

I use these gloves when I run in the morning--they're pretty warm, although when it's 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below, I will also stuff a heat pack inside.

At any rate, it's been over a year since I got them, and they need a good washing.

I just pulled out a magnifying glass, and found the washing instructions inside. Here they are:

Machine Wash Cold
Do Not Bleach
Hang Dry
Do Not Iron

Web Resources for the EFT Investor

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Summarizing a Wall Street Journal article on ETF (Electronically Traded Funds)

http://morningstar.com/goto.etfs

http://finance.yahoo.com/etf

http://marketwatch.com/tools/etfs/html-home.asp

http://indexuniverse.com

http://etftrends.com

http://etfguide.com

http://etfdb.com

Have I mentioned why I hate the television program, the Biggest Loser?

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:42:00 +0000

Not the first time I've said it but...

I think the idea is wonderful, a group of overweight people trying to get healthy.

But as an exercise enthusiast, and someone who is always in training, the emphasis on this show is all wrong. Too much exercise, very little (to no) information on how many calories these people are consuming.

Some of these 'contestants' weigh over 400 pounds---a good diet could result in a loss of 10 pounds per week, something these contestants regularly do, but the producers make it appear it's a result of exercise--much of it coming during the 'last chance workout', something that when I see it literally makes me want to vomit.

This show is doing no one a favor my making exercise appear to be a punishment--a drill sergeant of a woman screaming over you and telling you to 'give me 2o more'.

My biggest hope--a contestant smacks that loud mouth right in her nose and cracks it.

Biggest Loser---do your fans a favor and show them what your contestants are consuming each week in calories, and give them a modest exercise program to follow.

And one more thing---knock off this elimination nonsense.

Let everyone stay 'in the game', and proclaim the contestant that loses the most weight (the winner---pounds or percentage, I guess it doesn't make a difference to me.

Top Ten---Pizza Parlors

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000

I wanted to make mention of the fact that my family has been ordering a lot of pizza lately from Milanese Pizza in Riverton, NJ. The pizza is excellent, the staff (particularly Al) is very friendly. Parking is a bit tough around there though.

Tonight, as we picked up a pie for dinner, my wife found $12 on their step, and gave it to Al. He said if no one claimed it, he would give it to her next week when she stops by again. We'll see :)

This got me to thinking about some of my favorite, notable pizza parlors from the past, so I've compiled a list of my favorites.

1. John's Pizza Shack. Richmond St, Bridesburg section, Philadelphia PA. It was the first pizza I ever had. Not what most people would could their favorite, but it's still mine---I can still taste it. I used to eat it with my friend Dave on Friday night's when we were watching Astro Boy in the mid 60's (that was a long time ago)

2. Gearos on Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia. I learned to drink beer there, as their peperoni pie was a bit spicy. I should say I learned to drink Genessee Cream Ale there. It was delicious.

3. New England on Bustleton Avenue in Philadelphia. My first 'English' Style pie. Delicious.

4. Napoli Village, Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia. Very cheesey, very saucy. Very good.

5. Casa DiNapoli, Bustleton Avenue, Somerton Section of Philadelphia. Jack and his brother were great to me--I wrote a dBase III program for them to help them manage their shop. After we moved, I heard they moved to Atlantic City.

Some other great pies.

6. DeAngelos. Cinnaminson NJ.
7. Charlies on the Boulevard.
8. Celebres in South Philadelphia. This is distinctive. Nothing else quite like it.
9. Talianos. I believe this was the Adams avenue spot where we would occasionally visit after working at Sears. As I recall, it was very cheesy and saucy.
10. Tony's. Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia. It's a tomato pie (although you can order a pizza if you like.) The only problem with Tony's is that I can easily eat a pie and a half, and I'm in training.
11. Santucci's. Square Pizza. Juniata. A family favorite. The sauce is delicious. There are many locations.

Looking for more. I may refine my list.

iPhone Shortcomings

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:37:00 +0000

I bought my iPhone back in June. I really love it, but it's not perfect.

I've noticed some shortcomings, and I thought I would make a list.

It would be nice if...

1. I could sort Notes alphabetically
2. I could snyn my notes with my PC's Notepad application
3. I could do Internet Tethering, the way the online manual says I can
4. If there was Voice Recognition for texting
5. There were more ring tones

6. If I could designate special ring tones to certain senders of text messages
7. If there was a speed dial like there was with my Sony Erikson phone
8. If I could designate a group in my Address book

I'll think of more and update here...

Wow, if this guy is right, we're in for more trouble

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:52:00 +0000

Josh Kosman, a writer for the New York Post, has written a book talking about Private Equity Firms--basically, these are companies that have purchased some of the biggest non publicly traded companies in America.

Josh says that these companies were purchased with cheap money, and that in 1/3 of the cases, the debt on these payments can't be serviced. In other words, many of these companies will go bankrupt, default on their loans, and layout millions of people

Can you spell another financial meltdown.

I heard Josh last night on NPR, and he just appeared on CNBC.

If he's right, the gains we've seen in the economy this year will melt away and worse in 2011.

Check out his website here...

http://www.joshkosman.com/

I'm not a market expert, but you might think about strategies for making money in a down market.

My Life--what am I missing here?

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:17:00 +0000

What is this MyLife link that I am receiving emails for?

http://www.mylife.com

The site wants $1.99 a month for a 1 year subscription so that I can find out who is Googling me or searching MyLife for my name?

Most people searching for people these days go to Facebook I think...and that's free.

Let's see what I can find out MyLife that isn't unadulterated advertising...

Well BusinessWire did highlight it as one of the fastest 100 growing Private companies...

http://bit.ly/h4keo

MyLife is a paid service---Twitter and Facebook are free and supported by advertising.

Marketing gurus say that Paid Services such as MyLife and LinkedIn (free, but with a premium membership available) are approaching the revenues of the advertising supported sites.

Facebook claims to have 300+ million subscribers---MyLife 67 million users on their database, but I don't know how many are paid. If I search their database in free mode, I can find all of my neighbors on there, including my 92 an 94 year old neighbors down the road, and I know they don't even own a computer. I guess MyLife can get these from the White Pages.

The bottom line--if you're looking to look up and old friend, I still think Facebook is the way to go---more and more of my High School Classmates are showing up there.

Runners and bicycles...

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Last Monday, November 9th, I was running my normal route at around 5:30 in the morning.

It's a dark road, which doesn't worry me much, since I run with a reflector and since it's dark, I can easily see cars at that hour.

I was running with traffic on a pretty busy street that has a yellow divider line, just about to pass my neighbor's house for mile 2 of my 10 mile run.

My neighbor had a bunch of branches and leaves in his gutter, so I thought it might be a good time to switch street sides and go from right to left in preparation for a left turn about a quarter of a mile up the road.

I glanced quickly over my left shoulder, didn't see anything, didn't hear anything (although my ears have been congested lately) and veered left.

Just then, I heard someone yelling "yo yo yo". It was a man, whom I've seen before, peddling an old bicycle on his way to work on Church Road. His bike didn't have a headlight, which probably explains why he didn't see me or my reflector--that particular section of the street is without lights.

He veered a bit to his left, and flew by me---a very close call.

I yelled out "sorry"---it was more my fault than his. I had veered directly into his path. I'm glad he was paying attention and took diversionary tactics, or I would have been struck by his bike.

I thought about it a bit during the week and figured it would have been a minor collision. But considering that Force = Mass x Acceleration, and he and the bike probably weighed about 250 pounds versus my 150, and he was going 25MPH, it could have been a very bad collision. Most likely I would have wound up in the Emergency Room of Cooper University Hospital again (see my November 6, 2008 post regarding my broken nose).

Today's Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer has an article about bicyclists and pedestrian collisions. During the last year, 2 pedestrians have been killed and a jogger seriously injured in collisions. It's a growing problem with the number of bikers increasing, and in many cases, violating traffic regulations by riding on pavements, against traffic, and through lights and stop signs. Here's the link if you would like to read more...

http://bit.ly/1bTzOS

All I can say is that tomorrow, when I venture out on my dark, mooring run, I'll be looking out for my friend on the bicycle.

Holy Cross High School--Update on my 4 questions

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted an entry on my blog concerning 4 questions I had about Holy Cross High School.

They were questions about
1) the Holy Cross Dress Code
2) Technology in the Classroom
3) Prosptective Financial Aid
4) Potential Future Teacher Strikes

I emailed the Director of Admissions, Kevin Esmond, and received a very cordial and prompt response to my questions. I didn't post his response, as I didn't get permission from him to post his answers here.

Independently, the Principal of the School heard about my blog questions and posted a comment
to my questions here. Prior to that, a parent also posted a comment in response to my blog posting.

I'm posting the Principal's response here--you can read it, and the parent's comment, attached to my original blog post.

Again, I want to say that my wife, daughter and I were very impressed with the High School during our tour---I just wish I could rest easy with this uniform issue.

So often these days, it seems like the kids are running the show. If there's a rule in place, I still think that it should be enforced. The parent comment stated "be a parent"---I spend a lot of time saying 'no' to my daughter. I just don't think I need to fight one more battle over something that isn't my rule but the High School's.

My wife can tell you that when she went to Little Flower High School, girls with short skits were sent home---of course, most of the Faculty were women. When I attended North Catholic, boys without suit coats or with hair touching the collar were either sent home or to detention.

Here's the Principal's comment--thanks!

Professor

Your blog was sent to me by a Holy Cross parent and I would like address your questions as the principal of Holy Cross High School.

1. There is a dress code and the skort length can be problematic. Male faculty will not address length and female faculty are doing the best they can.(50% male-50% female faculty makeup)The leadership team it trying to address the issue but I believe it is bigger then Holy Cross High School. (Please note: 99% college acceptance rate, +50% of the graduating class (2009) recieved grants and scholarships amounting to +14 million dollars. Lateness to school is minimal, only one fight over the last two years. Just to mention other parts of our discipline code)

2. Holy Cross views technology as a tool to engage and enhance our students learning. We are trying to replace the pencil/pen/chauk and give our students a tool to help in the learning process in a way that a pencil, etc. cannot. We are convinced that a "one to one" computing environment enhances our schedule. (72 minute classes) Mrs. Germano, associate principal, continues to research ways to infuse technology into our classrooms. Holy Cross has made a sizable investment to move the delivery of the cirriculum to the cutting edge. Our teachers have received training in many applications since 2002 when every teacher was given a laptop computer. We currently use tablet PC's with both teachers and students.

3. 27% of our students receive financial aid, many based on need. There are some merit scholarships but the majority of our financial aid awards are based on need. The "at cost" tuition for this school year is +$10K but tuition is $8350. Every student is subsidized by the free will giving of our many stakeholders. The Office of Institutional Advanvement continues to work finding alternate sources of funding.

4. Holy Cross is in the second year of a four year contract. Our teachers are members of the Association of Catholic School Teachers 1776. We have an excellent relationship and work hard to find common ground in our disagreements. We have excellent working relationships and labor harmony for the last 10 years.

I would be glad to answer any other questions you may have.

Fan Mail Letter of the Week (November 7, 2009)

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:45:00 +0000

I just received this very nice email from someone who read my C++ book--it's kind letters like this that keep me writing computer books.

Hello Prof,

My name is Lekhotla Khoboko and I’m a final year Computer Science student at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). I’m writing this email to reaaaally thank you for the confidence boost you have given me in my C++ programming skills! I have just finished following your book Learn To Program with C++. I took about six days to read through the book and I’m really happy with what I have learned.

As I said, I’m a final year student, and I had been feeling veery nervous and incompetent with my programming skills in C++. I have gone through about four courses in C++ in my study years, but C++ had still been a dreadful programming language to take up any project in (until today!)

I’ve very much enjoyed our class (your 18 pupils plus myself!). The lectures were clear and very easy to follow, and they kept me stuck to the book from beginning till now that I’m done reading it!

Just like Rhonda, topics like those on Pointers, Objects and Inheritance had been my worst nightmares! I tried several introductory books but they were still way advanced for my comprehension! But at last, I feel like a genius. None of the questions I used to have or had in the course of reading are unanswered – either Dave, Ward or any of those my colleagues would bring them up and before we passed the topic, I would be clear and ready for the next class!

I really want to appreciate what you have done for me (I truly wish I could follow on with the friends in that five weeks’ time when they would be beginning their intermediate course – I’m sure I was going to come out the more brilliant)!

Your teaching methodology is very great as I compare it my C++ instructors’. Programming courses and careers are feared today, also because of the way they are presented by lecturers. In fact, I feel I can make a very good C++ instructor myself, having gone through this material. And this book would be my very first and preferred recommendation to my students!

You’ve trained a C++ programmer in six days! CONGRADULATIONS and thanks, Thanks, THANKS

Sincerely,

Lekhotla Khoboko
Mathematics and Computer Science Department
Faculty of Science and technology
National university of Lesotho Lesotho,
Southern Africa

Rest in peace Starbuck Casey

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:56:00 +0000

This obituary appeared in the October 25, 2009 Edition of the Burlington County Times.

There's just something unbelievable about it---particularly when I see that there's a little brother named Dunkin.

Services were supposedly done by the Sweney Funeral Home in Riverside---but their website shows no such service

http://www.sweeneyfh.com/main.cfm

At any rate, here's the Obituary...

Starbuck Casey died Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009.

Born in Visalia, Calif., on Nov. 20, 1998, he was named after his adopted father's outright passion for Starbucks coffee. Originally a native of Northern California, Starbuck came to the East Coast in 1999. He resided in Palmer, Pa., spent most of his years in Lumberton, N.J., and most recently lived in Nazareth, Pa.

Adopted at birth by Dan and Kolleen Casey, he is also survived by his doting brother, Connor, and his caring sister, Caroline. They cared for him and protected him. Over the years they learned how to take care of him by giving him his insulin when needed. Starbuck never winced, always taking his shots in stride. He is also survived by his menacing little brother, Dunkin, who was always by his side, a loyal companion to the end.

Sweeney Funeral Home,Riverside

No drinks---and with no apologies

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:52:00 +0000

I'm flabbergasted by the way I see people drink these days---I swear half the young people I know will be alcoholics by the time they're 30. This letter was written to Dear Abby in response to a column she wrote--it sums up the current drinking crisis among young people very well..

Dear Abby: I was thrilled to read "Sober in Scottsdale's" (July 28) letter about drinking. I'm a 21-year old college student who has also struggled with choosing to be sober amidst the majority of my drunken peers.

Most people my age drink only to get drunk and appear to be unable to have fun without the aid of alcohol. Every activity must be performed under the influence.

While at a nightclub, one friend asked me how I was able to "dance and have a good time without being drunk."

Abby, in your response to "Sober,", you said that drinkers should "mind their own business" because "there is usually a good reason why a person doesn't drink."

For me, there is no medical, metabolic or addiction problem that prevents me from consuming alcohol. but I have seen the effects it has on my peers---putting them in drunken stupors, using awful judgment, and being taken to the hospital after blacking out.

I left the college of my choice after one month because I could no longer stand hearing people in the bathroom vomiting all night long. Drinkers aren't ashamed of these displays. They brag about them to their friends the next day.

I sure hope this stage is one that will pass with age. I often long for the days when i was younger, when playing board games and sipping juice was considered a good time.

Signed----Not Drinking in New Jersey

Holy Cross High School

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:31:00 +0000

My wife and I are considering sending my daughter to Holy Cross High School in Delran starting in the Fall of 2009.

Tutition is not cheap (around $9,000 per year), so the decision is not an easy one.

We attended an open house there on Sunday, October 18th, and everyone affiliated with the school seemed very caring, concerned and motivated. The student representatives were great also.

I came away with just a few questions that I need answered, and I'll be working on that in the next few days:

1. Is there a dress code at the school. The school uniforms I saw on Sunday were way too short. One of the benefits of a Catholic School education has always been that parents do not have to argue with their children in the morning about the appropriateness of their attire (except on 'Dress Down' days. Having seen the mini-skirts that some of the girls wore on Sunday, I have to wonder if I won't be arguing with my daughter every morning.

2. Technology is a big buzzword at the school. Every incoming freshman will lease a tablet PC. As a college level teacher of technology, I'm not sold on this amount of technology in a High School. It's not that I don't think the kids can handle it, it's a matter of whether or not it can be properly incorporated into the classroom. For instance, what's easier, asking someone in Math class to come up to the board and, using chalk, write the equation on the board, or having a teacher snag it from a student's table PC, and display it on a smartboard in front of the class. I'm not absolutely sure of the answer myself, but if the teacher is not tech savy, that operation could take longer than my chalkboard approach.

3. I meant to ask on Sunday the percentage of students who receive some kind of financial aid.

4. Finally, having heard this morning on the radio and TV about 3 Catholic Schools with teachers on strike, I'm wondering what union covers the Holy Cross teachers, and when their contract expires?

Shut out of the Philadelphia Half Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:06:00 +0000

When I ran the Broad Street Run in May with my niece and nephew, I suggested that we run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November (crazy idea, I know.)

I don't run well in the summer--the heat is too much for me, although I still run about 15 miles a week, 60 miles per month.

Once the weather gets cooler, I can run farther, and I get more ambitious.

With the Half Marathon slated for November 22nd, I didn't think it was a big deal NOT to have signed up already by September 20th---but that's when the available slots for both the Marathon (10,000 spots) and the Half Marathon (8,000 spots) filled up. The remaining 2,000 spots of the total of 20,000 go to the Rothman 8K, a race I've run several times, and is simply not worth it in my mind to deal with the mess of having to be in town by 5:30AM to get a parking spot.

It's a shame I'm shut of out the Half Marathon, since I'm really running well, and pretty far.

Monday mornings I get up at 4:30AM and run 10 to 11 miles---so I'm well on pace to be able to complete 13.1

Having seen the movie, Run, Fatboy, Run, I got the idea that I could possibly find a charity to run with.

I was right.

Two charities, Back on my Feet, and Run Philly Style, apparently pre-purchased 'spots', and I can buy them from them if I am willing to raise money for them.

Back on my Feet is a regional organization that tries to help homeless people by getting them interested in running.

Run Philly Style tries to get sedentary students into running to help them healthwise.

No big deal, I thought, I was a top fund raiser for the MS150 the 3 years I rode it back in the late 90's and early 2000's. I regularly raised $1,000 and up for them.

Only problem is Back on My Feet wants $1,800---and if I don't raise it, they'll bill my credit card. Run Philly Style wants $1,000--same deal.

I contacted Back on My Feet and offered to raise as much money as I can for them--but received a canned response with the details of joining them.

I didn't bother with Run Philly Style.

I received an email about a week ago indicating there were still 8 'spots' available from Back on My feet, but they were going fast. I just checked their website and it seems like they are all gone...

http://philadelphia.backonmyfeet.org/Philadelphia-Landing.html

By the way, one runner can't transfer their registration to me. So for instance, if someone who is injured
would like to sell me their $100 'spot', they can't do do so. Well, I suppose they can illegally, but I would be running under their name. There are 'spots' being sold on Craigslist.

A friend of mine who has run the race says the 20,000 person limitation is reasonable--he said there are spots in the race where both Marathon and Half Marathon runners are traveling through some very tight areas--we don't want anyone hurt.

I can understand that--but the restriction on transferring a registration to another runner seems silly---why not charge a $10 fee to do so. Early on, I believe, they were charging a fee to change a registration from Half Marathon to Marathon and vice versa.

Of course, there's nothing to stop me from running my own Half Marathon one of these Monday mornings---maybe I'll even drop off a check to Back on My Feet and/or Run Philly Style after I'm done it.

It's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:52:00 +0000

It's hard to get motiviated to maintain the blog when I realize so few people read it.

I know my wife reads it, but everything I blog about she hears about all day long anyway...

Still, my stats indicate that it's being visited, so I'll continue to try to post from time to time.

Since my daughter's soccer game has been cancelled for today, I'll try to do a bit of work on it before turning my attention to my long awaited Database Programming book.

Carpet Dimensions of Willingboro

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:53:00 +0000

We just had some work done by this company in our home.

The carpet installation was fine--but the carpet was delivered days past the promised date, the installers showed up 2 hours late, and the company (Mike, the salesman) refused to accept a $50 coupon that we presented to the installers. He told us to save it for next time.

"Oh, for $50, you're going to get mad."

You bet---$50 is $50. Shame we tipped the installers $20.

Nice customer relations.
The foyer replacement job will go to someone (anyone) else---all for the sake of a $50 coupon that you refused to honor on the day of installation.

By the way, the last time we used this company 4 years ago, they laid carpet in our downstairs family room.

After arriving late for the job, they placed the contents of the family room (sofa, chairs, Big Screen Television) on our deck and proceeded to go to lunch.

It was quite a thrill to hear the sound of thunder in the background, and the installers managed to get there before the rain came.

No damage was done and I have no complaint with the installers---but this company needs to take a lesson about Customer Relations during a recession.

I'll bad mouth them to anyone and everyone who wants to listen to me for the next 2 weeks---and I have a big mouth, and a large audience.

Programming Projects that may light your fire

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:47:00 +0000

I've been meaning to put some additional programming projects on my website.

When I was taking my first programming class, some of these were pretty infectuous.

Let's start with just a couple and we'll see how we do---I have over 100 here...

1. Write a program that asks the user to enter 2 numbers, obtains the 2 numbers from the user, then displays the product of the 2 numbers.

2. Write a program that displays the numbers from 1 to 10. Do not use a loop.

3. Write a program that utilizes looping to display the numbers from 1 to 10.

4. Write a program that asks the user to enter 2 numbers, obtains the 2 numbers, then displays the larger of the two numbers. If the 2 numbers are equal, that display the message "These numbers are the same"

5. Write a program that utilizes looping to display the following table of values:

N	10 * N	100 * N	1000 * N	10000 * N
1	10	100	1000	10000
2	20	200	2000	20000
3	30	300	3000	30000
4	40	400	4000	40000
5	50	500	5000	50000
6	60	600	6000	60000
7	70	700	7000	70000
8	80	800	8000	80000
9	90	900	9000	90000
10	100	1000	10000	10000
11	110	1100	11000	110000

Excel 2003 can't open a Lotus 1-2-3 File

noreply@blogger.com (John Smiley) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

I tried to open an old Lotus 1-2-3 file in Excel 2003 and received this message

"You are attempting to open a file type that is blocked by your registry policy setting".

Isn't that a pain.

Microsoft has a fix on its website that will allow you to specify a folder containing Lotus 1-2-3 files you wish to open. Here's the link...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922848