Saturday, September 29, 2018

I Always Knew It Was Coming








  There are moments in time, where everything changes. When you know that nothing will ever be the same again. Sometimes, you get real quiet, as it was an unexpected event.

  Sometimes you get real quiet, because you always knew it was coming - and then once it arrives, you immediately recognize it for what it was.

  Several weeks ago, my father reached out to the mother of my children, attempting to get in contact with my daughters. The mother of my daughters said she would pass the message on.

  My father never heard from my daughters. He, too, has become the grandparent affected by parental alienation.

  Yesterday, the mailman arrived and made rounds. In the mail for me, was the birthday card I had sent my eldest daughter, in May of this year. It was marked "no longer at this address".

  The last point of contact for my children has now gone.

  Everything changes now. Nothing will ever be the same again. I got real quiet. I always knew it was coming.


Saturday, September 15, 2018

Story Goes to Slashdot





Story goes viral.

Today, the San Diego Reader published my story on the nationwide outage affecting the receipt of pay for Uber drivers.

The story was picked up on Slashdot and has gone viral.

A piece of work created by me now appears on  /.  a site that I read every day.

Thank you to both the Reader and Slashdot. 




Tuesday, September 11, 2018

I Went To Denny's - Thank You United 93.







I went to a Denny's today. Ordered an All American Grand Slam and a coke. Thumbing through the Twitter feed I saw that the President was visiting Shanksville,  Pennsylvania.

The final resting place of 40 heroes on board United Flight #93.

 I imagine that seventeen years ago, someone sat in a Denny's before starting their day, either to cross the country on one of the ill fated flights, or before attending the World Trade Center complex. They could have ordered the same meal as me, not knowing what their day may bring.

For the passengers of United 93, their voices continue to be heard through the wind chimes of the memorial tower.

Their loved ones have a place to go to grieve, to remember and to thank. Their children can thumb through the history books and learn what their father, mother, did. To save us all.

I went to Denny's today not knowing where my children are. They will be no monument, no location that they will go to when I have passed. They will not know until long after I am gone.

And nor will I should they precede me.

Thank You United 93 - for saving our children.



Saturday, September 8, 2018

Still Waiting on Email






Still waiting on email to transfer over. It's day seven and any mail sent to me has not been received.

Good thing I'm paying for this email server.

Migration to the server takes place at 0800 Tuesday 11 September 2018.


Sunday, September 2, 2018

Tecnhical Upgrades to Site and Email






  For the past eleven years of so, I have used the technical services of Go Daddy for my email and web site. In April this year, I changed my cell phone from an Android to Iphone X, my first Apple product. At the time of conversion all my settings from the Android device transferred over to the Iphone.

  In the past couple of months, Apple, somewhere along the line, decided that "backwards compatibility" was no longer going to occur - probably because there's no money to be made with it. Consequently, when I routinely changed the password of my email account on my cell phone, the operating system could no longer accept the "antiquated" email and server that I was working on.

  For three hours yesterday, the service department of Go Daddy and I went to work on correcting the issues associated with coming forward to 2018 technology. There's was nothing wrong with the old technology, but it did have a shelf life of 2019 - the forced changed was just unexpected.

  Who has to change their entire web site and email operating system as a result of changing their passsword? Me.

  In about ten days or so, the new web site will transition over, email will be moved to a new server, and all of this will appear seamless to you, the reader.

  With one exception. For the next ten days, I will not be able to respond to emails through my cell phone and will have to use a desktop or laptop and log into a browser window to respond. If my responses are not timely, I ask for your patience as the technology upgrades are made.

  Many thanks to Go Daddy for providing great service. 

Saturday, August 25, 2018

The Wayside





In a few days, I will be celebrating a birthday.

When I was a new Dad, birthdays were events that were planned weeks in advance. Travel, dining, and if required, accommodation. First my eldest, and then later joined by her younger sister, they would be "moments" of togetherness.

And they were only moments. Those togetherness moments went by the wayside once the separation and the divorce began. Years later, although remarried, they are still by the wayside.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

The Uber Driver





Feature story in the San Diego Reader.

The photoshoot of the Chevrolet did not make the final publication.