That's odd...

Two years ago this month, I purchased an invoicing system for my company. The idea was that it would automatically bill my clients monthly, quarterly, etc. and then I could just sit back and collect the money. Well, not really: I still have to provide service, after all!

Unfortunately, I found that just like my previous invoicing system, the new one was hardly the ideal of automation. WHMAP, as it is known, ties into my hosting control panel nicely, but it didn't ever send out the bills automatically. It would generate them and then they would sit there until I went in and manually selected each one and told it to send. So much for efficiency.

So, a few months ago I decided to get a new system. I tried out a couple, researched even more (including some I passed up when I bought WHMAP), and decided on ClientExec. I really like CE's better tie in with PayPal (even without using subscriptions, the process can remain totally self service for the client: the client logs in, clicks “pay now” and it processes the payment and marks the invoice paid); moreover, the new system attaches the invoice to the e-mail it sends to the client rather than sending a message that tells my clients to login to read their new invoice. I also like that CE has a built in helpdesk system so that I can provide my clients with support and billing in one convenient location.

So what's odd? Tonight I went out to the mailbox and had a payment from a client. The invoice was enclosed with the payment. Guess what? The invoice wasn't from CE. WHMAP finally remembered to send an invoice!

Not Likely to Make Penguins My Friends

Don't think I've given up on GNU/Linux when you read my latest piece on OFB, I do intend to highlight some good things about Linux in coming weeks. Nevertheless, this must be said:

Those of us observing GNU/Linux over the past decade have spent so much time talking about how “next year is Linux’s year on the desktop” that it has become more of a humorous cliché than a useful statement. Nevertheless, while every year the Penguin has disappointed us in not quite readying itself to compete against Apple and Microsoft’s systems, at least in the small office and home office market, we can always cling to the eternal hope: next year. Or can we?

Let's Polka!

My family usually has a few parties each year, and often times we'll have a theme of some sort. Today, my mother put on an amazing little Root Beer/Oktoberfest party for us. As part of that, we had lots of polka music, and I learned how to polka. By the end of the night, my cousin Amelia and I managed to polka across the house — and not break anything in the process!

The party, being an Oktoberfest party, had beer (of the rooty sort). It wasn't just a root beer party, but a root beer tasting party. Using blind taste testing, all of us tried nine different types of root beer and rated them. I, along with about half of the others, unknowingly picked A&W as my favorite, over more exotic ones, such as “Virgil's” and “Sparky's.” A&W was the only one that we had not purchased at Straub's, an “up market” little grocery chain that we went to specifically to get root beer. I also found St. Louis hometown Fitz's and Route 66 rootbeer to be quite good. Some of the others weren't very good at all. One, I think it may have been the Virgil's, tasted like cough syrup, for instance.

Quite a night, at any rate.

TQ: Pop Culture

In this week's TQ from Mark, we consider important issues of pop culture:

1. 42 or 2001

42, of course. It is the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything.

2. 33, 32 or 23

No idea.

3. ET or AI

Is that maybe “Alf”? If so, then Alf. If not, I'm not sure.

4. Yacko, Wakko, and Dot or Bugs, Daffy and Porky

Bugs, Daffy and Porky.

5. T1, T2, or T3

I do not believe I've ever seen an entire Terminator (though I've seen parts of at least T1 and T2).

6. Captain Picard, Captain Malcolm Reynolds, or Commander Jeffrey Sinclair

Who else but Captain Picard? Who else can “make it so”?

7. TRL or Headbangers Ball

No idea.

8. Beavis and Butthead or Itchy and Scratchy

Itchy and Scratchy.

9. Harry or Frodo

Probably Harry, although I'm just getting to know Frodo.

Extra credit:

vi, emacs or pico

Pico. Vi is evil; and, I want a text editor, not an operating system, so Emacs is out.

Note: The questions on this page written by Mark are governed by the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.5 license. I believe my responses are allowed under fair use and therefore are not licensed under the Creative Commons license (I don't want people messing with adapting my personal opinions, thank you very much).

Withdrawn

I need to get away from distractions for awhile. I have written previously about my desire to write some larger works. Specifically, in October 2004, I wrote that I wanted to write a play and a non-fiction book, among other things. Since then, I have written one very brief and one somewhat longer play (the latter successfully adhering to the Unities, too.). That was a good start, but I have learned a lot since then (and through the experience of writing those works) and I think I know how to write a drama that is quite a bit better than my first attempts. I just need some free time.

Similarly, I have a much better perspective on book writing now. Although I've not even come close to writing a book, I do know clearly what I want to write about and my specific points. I have a lot of the chapters drawn out, so all that I need is time to do research and figure out the best way to explain the points. I'll tip my hat just a bit: the book will be on theology, but aimed at those who don't spend all their time studying theology. Again, I just need some free time.

What I really need is a free multi-day stay down at Big Cedar, on Table Rock Lake, so that I could just spend some time writing my thoughts and doing other writerly things. I need to ditch cell phones and e-mail for a few days too (well, as a sysadmin, I can't really do that, but I can at least limit my contact with such infernal devices).

One of these days.

Some Hope Abandonded

Well, it didn't go nearly as well as I hoped. I know I messed up on at least a few IPA symbols when writing out how sentences should be pronounced (and other bits of that may be wrong — it is very hard to sound out words properly when you can't make any sounds), and a few other things are questionable. I'm just hoping things are better than they seemed.

I'm not sure if they did, but by gaging the mood of everyone after the class, I think if the professor is merciful enough to grade on a curve it should not be too bad. I hope. It was probably one of the worst “feeling” tests I've taken, though.

I guess I'm only in the 8th circle or so, so I won't get to see any stars tonight… good news when I get it back would solve that, though.

Abandon All Hope

If I seem a little scarce, that's because of an exam I have tomorrow night for History of the English Language (those wondering about the Dante reference in the title should assemble the initials of the class's name, which gives the name students affectionally refer to the class by). At any rate, the tests in this class are absolutely legendary in their infamy. Every English major hears horror stories about how difficult these tests are.

There are many reasons for this, none of which I'll bore all of you with tonight, but I'll say this for now: I hope I am as fortunate as Dante and can look out to the stars tomorrow night.

God's Grandeur (a.k.a. Sequel to Last Night)

The following poem from Gerald Manley Hopkins is just simply a good thing to read, but I also was especially thinking of it in light of last night's ranting post. Enjoy.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

The Weary Rant of Madness

Ok, I surrender. I'm tired and weary — let's end this.

You want it? Fine, have it, I didn't want it anyway. Don't I? Well, that's not true. I do want it, but I know it is inevitable. You will win. It is always inevitable, so why do I keep starting over when it always must be surrendered at some point?

I'm too weary to fight anymore. Too weary for all the democratic window dressings over predetermined courses. Why the charade? You will do what you will do.

Fine. But you have to take the veggies and not just the dessert. I've given in before, let's do it once and for all and completely, now.

I just want to rest, so take it. But take it all.

Go, Go, Go

What a week. The first few days of the week I spent a lot of time preparing for the relaunch of OFB, particularly the technical aspects of the new site. Then I spent a good deal of time studying — trying to catch up on the things I didn't get done the first part of the week. Last night, I was at the wedding of a friend from church. Then today, we had a special service and installation ceremony for our youth minister who is now our Pastor of Youth and Celebration Worship, then I went and got a flu shot, followed by various small projects, and finally, Alpha. I also spent a lot of time on the phone providing technical support throughout the week — starting with two calls of about one hour each on last Monday evening.

The week got more intense, it seemed, as it progressed. Now this week I have two major tests. I can't wait until next weekend.