Monthly Archives: August 2003

J2EE in a nutshell

Posted on 29 August 2003 by meta

J2EE specifies Enterprise Java Beans for handling data, where the data and the client accessing it may or may not be on the same system. Entity beans are used to encapsulate the data in the database—instead of accessing the database … Continue reading →

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Spam

Posted on 28 August 2003 by meta

Two spam subject lines: grand piano gonads defined by 57 and hockey player somnambulists inside 0535. Totally ineffective at getting past the filters, but it does look as if the spammers are getting a bit more sophisticated and amusing at … Continue reading →

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Diet Vanilla Coke

Posted on 27 August 2003 by meta

I have a bottle of Diet Vanilla Coke. I didn’t buy it; peapod.com included it in our order as a free sample. I don’t drink Coke. Don’t like the stuff. But I’ve tried Vanilla Coke, and the added vanilla makes … Continue reading →

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Learning J2EE, continued

Posted on 26 August 2003 by meta

I’ve just successfully written an EJB, deployed it, and called it from a servlet and some JSP. Right now, it looks like the EJB specification has the highest complexity-to-benefit ratio I’ve ever encountered in a programming API. Sure, I’m a … Continue reading →

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The wit and wisdom of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Posted on 25 August 2003 by meta

From the SF Chronicle: “As much as when you see a blonde with great tits and a great ass, you say to yourself, Hey, she must be stupid or must have nothing else to offer, which maybe is the case … Continue reading →

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Elevator nightmare

Posted on 22 August 2003 by meta

Something I thought was an impossible urban legend: A staff doctor at Christus St Joseph Hospital in Houston, TX was stepping into the elevator when the doors suddenly closed, pinning his shoulders between them. The malfunctioning elevator then ascended, decapitating … Continue reading →

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Camera porn

Posted on 15 August 2003 by meta

Sony have announced the DSC-F828 digital camera. The details to drool over: Carl Zeiss T* coated Vario-Sonnar lens. It’s f/2 to f/2.8 / 7.1, with a zoom range equivalent to 28-200mm (7x). The T* coating cuts lens flare and reflections. … Continue reading →

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Tune in to Moreau

Posted on 14 August 2003 by meta

Scientists have successfully produced human-rabbit hybrid cells. And if that’s not bad enough, they were cloned from foreskins. Many SF writers have predicted that it is inevitable that mankind will end up producing bizarre hybrids of human and animal, simply … Continue reading →

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The final indignity

Posted on 12 August 2003 by meta

After my very delayed flight left me at Logan at 01:00, I had to get a taxi home. The cab smelt of gasoline, and the driver was a crotchety old guy with silver hair and a hearing aid. I shouted … Continue reading →

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Poof!

Posted on 12 August 2003 by meta

About a week ago, Mark disappeared. He mentioned in an e-mail that he’d spent some time in the Emergency Room and was on painkillers. That was the last I heard for days. His land line phone was disconnected, his mobile … Continue reading →

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