kennethholland.com

by Glenn Holland

I built this music workstation PC in February. Intel Quad core, three HDs, 4G RAM. A few weeks ago, it goes on the fritz. After a bunch of troubleshooting, I send the motherboard in. Two weeks later (yesterday) it comes back. Same problem. They issue me a new RMA and now I have to send it in again.

I won a Sony Playstation Portable at a trade show last year. American Airlines decided to drop an anvil or something on my suitcase and it shattered the LCD. Called Sony, sent us a box and for $80 they’ll send us a refurbished one - no repair. The new one (refurbished) arrived and the optical drive doesn’t work. Sending out another box to send that one in.

Bought a Logitech Harmony remote. My daughter knocked my glass of water onto it. Now it uses up its batteries in one day. No repair option.

Blackberry started shutting down a few days ago after calls and won’t fire up unless I plug it in. Took it to two AT&T stores yesterday - no ability to diagnose at all. Go to the Apple store, thinking maybe I just buy an iPhone. None in stock. If I want one, line up at 7am the next day for the special 8am opening just for iPhone purchases that has been going on for a month. Forget that, no way I’m getting that close to all those Apple freak/poseur/loser/Obamaniacs. Purchase a new battery for the Blackberry, but they have to order it because nobody carries Blackberry Curve batteries (?!?). Get a note this morning that the battery is backordered.

I bought this “Invisible Shield” case for my iPod and Blackberry. Thin sheets of plastic you apply to protect them. Put it on the iPod, click wheel no longer works. Go back and forth with them and they will take no responsibility. Can’t repair iPod because it’s old and they no longer repair those iPods. But Apple will give me 10% off the purchase of a new one! You know where they can stick that apple. Start using Amy’s iPod, another device I won at work and then that one stops working. Hard drive. Don’t make those hard drives anymore. So I pry open both iPods and swap hard drives for one working iPod. That’s my best tech story in a year. Whoopee.

Montana. Log cabin. Lantern. Pen and paper. I’m sure I have a manifesto in me.

I just hope my brother doesn’t turn me in.

The following letter was written by Charles Grennel and his comrades, veterans of the Global War on Terror. Grennel is an Army Reservist who spent two years in Iraq and was a principal in putting together the first Iraq elections in January 2005. It was written to Jill Edwards, student at the University of Washington, who did not want to honor Medal of Honor winner USMC Colonel Greg Boyington. Ms. Edwards and other students and faculty do not think those who serve in the U.S. Armed Services are good role models.

To: Jill Edwards, Student, University of Washington

Subject: Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs

Miss Edwards, I read of your student activity regarding the proposed memorial to Colonel Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive many angry emails from conservative people like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of servicemen and servicewomen, on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be that you are simply a sheep. There’s no dishonor in being a sheep, as long as you know and accept what you are.

Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident. We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people, not capable of hurting each other except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

Then there are the wolves who feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. Continue reading ‘Are you a Sheep or a Sheepdog?’

Ok, disregard the last post…I’m really back now….honest!