Road Trip, Anyone?

This is kind of a creampuff article, as all articles are in USA Weekend.  What can I say, I get this inside a free local paper and it has a good Sudoku so I read it. 

From USA Weekend:
"USA's 5 best road trips"
http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20130517/LIVING01/305170007/USA-s-5-best-road-trips

Apologies to you, my seven readers*, if this blog post is not up to my normal standards.  I confess, I'm only posting it here so I can easily find this article if I want to read it again, for some road trip ideas, particularly when I'm out west.

I've ridden the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway (but not Newfound Gap Road and Skyline Drive).  And I've driven a good chunk of U.S. 2 (North Dakato, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan--I used to live a couple miles from it, in Upper Michigan).  Both very nice drives.  I suspect the other drives are very nice, too.

* estimated

Quote of the Day: George MacDonald on why politicians are not good men

This explains a lot, and from what I have seen is absolutely true.  This explains why good people are a minority in the political class.

"It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected.  The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen."  - George MacDonald 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_macdonald.html

Song of the Day: Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful

Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1aF54DO60

Lyrics, from AZ Lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lanadelrey/youngandbeautiful.html

Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I got nothing but my aching soul?

Cuba's Not-So-Worldwide Web

Ah, the wonders of socialism.  Really great for the little people.

From Tech President:
"The View From Inside Cuba's Not-So-Worldwide Web" by Anne Nelson
http://techpresident.com/news/wegov/23702/cuba-highly-restricted-internet-access-leaves-population-hungry-more

The really sad part of this article is what I saw in the comments at the end.  People still looking to blame the U.S.  Pathetic.  People can't see evil when it's right in front of their faces, only 90 miles from our shore.  How would anything the U.S. does explain the oppressive censorship or the fact that Cubans can't get into tourist hotels to use the internet if they want to?

On the bright side, it sounds like the Cuban people aren't fooled by the U.S., either.  "The young Cubans I met were desperate for YouTube, but dismissive of Radio and TV Marti, the U.S. government-funded services based in Miami: 'It’s just propaganda, and we get enough of that around here.'"  Amen to that.

Who Has Your Back (Online)

Interesting article discussing which companies care about your digital rights, and which don't.

From Electronic Frontier Foundation:
"Who Has Your Back"
https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2013

Something to think about when you choose whom to do business with online...

Where the Internet Lives, Atlanta Edition - Part 2

More press coverage at the site where I work.  This was a week or two ago.  I saw the cameras but I couldn't stick around to get on camera because I had a flight to catch (to Dublin--yes, life is tough).

Biz Journals (Atlanta Business Chronicle Article)
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/05/07/slideshow-googles-new-douglasville.html

Douglas County Sentinel
http://www.douglascountysentinel.com/news/article_e1ccebc6-b762-11e2-961c-001a4bcf6878.html

WSB-TV (ABC Affiliate)
Teaser - https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0B3wGjHpSQU3_YjQyZE0taG5iTW8/edit
Story - UPDATED - From the WSBTV website... http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/ch-2-goes-behind-the-scenes-at-google-data-center/v2Qqx/

11-Alive (NBC Affiliate)- Yes...grainy cell phone video...sorry, not on their website yet.  :-)
Teaser #1 - https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0B3wGjHpSQU3_dFAwb1ItX3AtUE0/edit
Teaser #2 - https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0B3wGjHpSQU3_eWozZ3FvUmxNRHc/edit
Story - https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0B3wGjHpSQU3_WDk1QmZ1X2dOXzA/edit

Atlanta Journal and Constitution http://www.ajc.com/videos/news/ch-2-goes-behind-the-scenes-at-google-data-center/v2Q9L/

11-Alive story via WoodTV (NBC Affiliate)- Grand Rapids, MI
http://www.woodtv.com/dpps/entertainment/must_see_video/rare-look-inside-google-server-room-nd13_6111036

News 10 Net - Sarcramento, CA
http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=2365822547001&odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured

Valuable Career Advice, Courtesy of Dilbert

Sometimes people ask me for career advice.  I usually direct them to cartoons like these.  Remember, my seven readers*, work-life balance is important.

 http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2006-02-24/

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2005-05-26/

Maybe you can use this to your advantage?

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2010-07-05/

While it's hard to top Dogbert and Wally, I think Alice manages to do it in this next cartoon:

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-12-06/?Page=2

* estimated   :)

Oh, and one more (added in 2024, from a comic that ran in 2014):