Do Your Password Right

Don't use your birthday. Don't use something about your kids. Whatever you do, don't use 12345 (or asdfjkl;) becasue the folks on the dark side know all those passwords.

Don't use a word I can find in a dictionary. The folks on the dark side will encrypt a dictionary and do a bit compare to your encripted password, offset into the dictionary and read the word. (and they will do it with dictionaries in other languages too).

You've heard the stuff. Use lots of characters. Use some upper case, some lower case. Put numbers and symbols in it. That's how to do a good password...BUT WAIT!

Those "good" passwords are hard to remember, right?

Nope. If it's hard to remember you did it wrong. Do it like this:

amac=bIw2bm

There's a "good" password. It has capital letters, lower case letters, symbols, numbers. The whole shooting match. Hard to remember? Nope. Not if you think of it like this:

all men are created equal but I want to be more

It's the same password. Sure, I used an equal sign rather than the word and the number 2 rather than the word "to" but I can remember the sentence. So use the first letter of every word but substitute the symbols for the words.

You can get all kinds of good passwords this way. Use jokes:

Jbyapdmtao2gu (Just becasue you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you)
edhhdbadwabthawe (Every dog has his day but a dog with a broken tail has a weak end)

Use a phrase:

tmbibfiwi@ (thin may be in but fat is where it's at)
#yf&/ywbdtwa` (pound your fist and slash your wrist but don't talk with an accent)

Or alter words you can remember easily:

S1dne? (Sidney)
- Ok, using a question mark for the word "why" is a stretch but you'll remember
Nebr@sk@ (I shouldn't have to tell you this one)

Anyway. Use symbols as words (=, #, &, and the ever popular ^ (that last one is a carrot). Use sentences for the letters. Capatalize where it makes sense and you will end up with a password you can remember and the people on the dark side can't figure out!!

How Did We Get So Dependant?

I had some work in Houston. When I need to go to Houston for work I always drive. I don't much care for airports anymore and it takes about the same amount of time when you factor in time getting to the airport, going through security, getting off of and back on the ground etc.

So I'm driving to Houston and as I am nearing Madisonville I notice my GPS says I'm going 76.4 mpg. I speed up a bit and it's still 76.4. I slow down. Same speed. I reach over, turn the GPS off and turn it back on. It boots, reboots, reboots, ...

OMG! my GPS is DOA on I45.

Suddenly I'm filled with self doubt. How will I ever find my hotel and the HP campus? What can I do? I have to admit I was a bit concerned.

Then my mind wanders back to earlier in my life when rather than using trigonometry to triangulate off of 3 or more satellites in a geo-stationary orbit to figure out where we were and where we were going, we used to have these big atlas books in our cars. No google maps. No full color print outs telling us where to turn and no voice on the GPS telling us what was happening in 400 yards.

Hard to believe but we still arrived back in those days.

Well, I got there (after being lost for over an hour) and I got home.

Fortunately my little daughter gave me a new GPS for Christmas (when I thought I had one - you don't suppose she snuck into my car and...Nah!). I've been charging it up today and it will likely go into the car this weekend. My soul will be in more comfort when the TomTom talks to the satellites again so I don't have to try to remember how to work one of those atlas books!

How did I ever get so dependant on the technology?

The Cent of a Dead Pig

First, let's be clear - I really don't like pennies. I haven't liked them for years. They don't spend well, they are noisy in your pocket, and let's face it - their time has passed.

Mandy found a web site for The Penny Experiment and although I don't like pennies, I do like what Jeffery Strain is doing with his (I would have stomped on it or kicked it and moved on down the road). My daughter, however, decided to help him out.

Meanwhile, the kid down the street, who is in FFA (Future Farmers of America), is raising a pig for his project this year. The school year is drawing to a close and the pig is tipping the scales upwards of 280 pounds so the project is drawing to a close. I know this because the kid showed up at the door asking me if I wanted to buy half (or all) of the pig. I was reluctant to do so but after reading Mandy's post on The Penny Experiment I decided I might have some use for a side of pork.

I sent an email to Jeffery and offered to donate a side of pork in exchange for 30 of his pennies (I have a secret plan to turn those pennies into even MORE food bank donations). To my surprise he shot me down! This was (part of) his reply..

Thank you for your email and the very creative idea. I am always willing to think outside the box and get creative. I actually like your idea quite a bit, but I don't know if it will work out financially. My hope is to add enough value to get $25 for each of the remaining pennies I have. That would mean that 30 pennies would be $750 and with the couponers getting $8+ for every dollar they spend at the moment, that would be $5700+ worth of food to the food banks....

I must admit, I was quite amused by the response. I quickly responded and my open line was "A negotiation! How fun". This post is getting kind of long but the bottom line was I reduced my asking price to 8 of his pennies (I'll include the whole conversation below but I'm sure some of you are already getting tired of the post).

Jeffery agreed, I called the North Texas Food Bank (214-347-9597 for those of you that have more food than you need and can afford to share it with folks who have less food than they need) and made the arrangements.

So the pig has a new found purpose and I have 8 pennies to sell. That's right, I've got pennies to sell.

I need to charge $30 each for the first four pennies. The money you spend on your new penny will go back to Jeffery to help him with his project. If you act right now (and live close enough to pick it up) I will throw in 10 pounds of my home made sausage with each of the four pennies sold. You pick the kind (Brautwurst, Italian, Polish or William Tell Polish).

If the pennies sell fast I've got some other ideas to further this effort. Who wants to help me get a thousand pounds of meet to the food shelter?

==============================================
And for those of you who care - The negotiation...
==============================================

Jim,

Thank you for your email. Please keep me up to date on the loop as time permits -- this is a long term project, so no rush. Hope to hear about confimations that all will work out and we can move forward.

Jeffrey Strain

On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 6:50 AM, Crawford, Jim wrote:
> Sorry - I'm out of town and not doing email every day.
>
> 1) Mandy (one of your coupon / blogger supporters) is my youngest child. She's all grown up and married. I spent the first third of my life doing things for me and the second third of my life doing things for the kids. The way I see it, the last third is all about serving others. Your experiment seems to hit that target. As far as "what's in it for me" -- that was the first third. It's not all about me anymore (but thanks for caring).
>
> 2) My wife volunteered for at the McKinney food bank at some point in the past and we believe they can take the donation. I'll have to check (and will do so prior to delivering the pig). We live in Dallas so I'll be surprised if I can't find one that will but if we reach an agreement don't send me the pennies until all those details are a done deal (good thought on your part).
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeffrey Strain [mailto:savingadvice@gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 5:15 PM
> To: Crawford, Jim
> Subject: Re: Outside the Box
>
> Jim,
>
> Thank you for your email. I'm certainly interested in this because, as
> you said, I will need help from others to make this work and I love
> the creativity of showing different ways that food can be donated. I
> have two concerns.
>
> 1. What do you get out of this. One of the things that I want to make
> sure is that everyone who participates is getting at least equal value
> (if not more) for the work they do. In the same way that I have been
> refusing donations (I tell those that offer to donate directly to
> their local food bank), I need to make sure that you feel that you
> will be getting value by participating.
>
> 2. Do you have a local food bank or food kitchen that will accept the
> pork as a donation. many have restrictions so you need to make sure
> that there is a place that you can donate it to before we proceed.
>
> Again, thank you for wanting to participate and look forward to
> hearing your answer.
>
> Jeffrey Strain
>
> Make sure that your local food bank or kitchen will be able to take
> the donation
>
> On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 9:50 AM, Crawford, Jim wrote:
>> A negotiation. How fun.
>>
>> Ok, here's what I came up with. First, I figure the side of pork will end up being 80% of 140 pounds (the pig weighs 280 on the hoof) so we're probably talking about 112 pounds of meat. I really don't know what the average price per pound is for pork but let's say $1.50 so we're likely looking at $168 worth of meat delivered to the food bank (about 6 cents worth by your calculations). Before I write the blog about all this I will approach a grocery store and get a price on a side of pork so you'll have a real number for your records.
>>
>> Let's make it 8 cents and I'll do it. I'll buy the whole pig and make a portion of the other side into sausage (I do sausage as a hobby) and I'll sell the other 2 pennies (maybe all 8 - depends on the folks buying the sausage) for $25 each and throw in 10 pounds of my sausage (I have a bunch of friends who like my sausage and a while back when they told me they wanted to buy some. I decided I wouldn't sell it because that would turn the hobby into work - up to this point I only give it away).
>>
>> If it turns out I generate more interest in buying a penny for $25 and getting 10 pounds of free sausage I may hit you up for more pennies but for now I'll commit to the two. The other 6 pennies are mine to do what I please with (but I'm going to try to find some creative ways to support your effort).
>>
>> Once I start getting paid for the pennies I sell, you tell me where to send the money and I will.
>>
>> In my "never to be humble" opinion, to reach your million dollar goal you are going to need to come up with a plan that pyramids out and has a bunch of other folks trying to leverage your investments for growth and food deliveries.
>>
>> Let me know what you think.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jeffrey Strain [mailto:savingadvice@gmail.com]
>> Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 2:08 AM
>> To: Crawford, Jim
>> Subject: Re: Outside the Box
>>
>> Jim,
>>
>> Thank you for your email and the very creative idea. I am always
>> willing to think outside the box and get creative. I actually like
>> your idea quite a bit, but I don't know if it will work out
>> financially. My hope is to add enough value to get $25 for each of
>> the remaining pennies I have. That would mean that 30 pennies would
>> be $750 and with the couponers getting $8+ for every dollar they
>> spend at the moment, that would be $5700+ worth of food to the food
>> banks. I thought about giving gardeners money as well, but I can't
>> get those numbers to work out on par with the couponers either. If
>> you have a way to resolve this or if I am greatly underestimating the
>> value of the side of a pig, please let me know as I do like the idea
>> if I can make the numbers work. I really do appreciate the though you
>> have put into this and the creativity as I know I will have to come
>> up with unique ways to reach the goal.
>>
>> Jeffrey Strain
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 7:15 AM, Crawford, Jim wrote:
>>> I've got an offer that is outside your regular approach to adding
>>> food to the food bank...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Two things happened this week. My daughter came
>>> over and told me all about her couponing for your cause. Prior to
>>> that my neighbor's kid (member of FFA) came over and asked me if I
>>> wanted to buy the pig he raised for this year's school project.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Here's my offer. Send me 30 of those pennies and I'll buy the pig,
>>> have it processed and donate half (a side of pork) to a food
>>> shelter. The pig weighs 280 pounds. I'm not sure what the
>>> processing loss is but I expect we can increase your food $$$ total
>>> by over 50% (not bad for 30 pennies) I've got an idea on how I can raise even more for you using the 30 pennies....
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Oh, and I'll blog about it all so you can have some more links to play with.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> If you're in, let me know fast (before the kid sells the pig to
>>> someone
>>> else) and send the pennies to:
>>>
>>>

It's a Crawford Thing

You'll have to excuse my little daughter for her rant about Christmas (Merry Judgemas). She has this history that oddly positions her for these "somewhere left of far right" views on life. I tried to teach her what was right, I really did, but once they clear puberty and start into their adultery they often have their own thoughts and express their own views.

Mandy, you see, is one of a very select group of young American women who has the proof necessary to allow her to join the "Daughters of the American Revolution" organization. That's right. She could stand there right next to Lorelai Gilmore and raise a glass of champagne to celebrate whatever it is the DAR group likes to celebrate.

The documentation that would insure Mandy's induction is fairly vast but best among the stories and documents is the red heart on the grave marker of David Crawford signifying his notable contribution to the Revolutionary War as, get this, General George Washington's personal physician. David was born August 11th of 1729 but this story isn't about him, it's about Mandy's history that would compel her to write such a rant so the story must start earlier, much earlier.

In June of 1718 Mandy's great great great great great great grandfather (I'm not making it up - it was Mandy then me then my dad then Ralph then Robert then Robert then John then Sameth - David's brother - then James who is the genesis of my name although I'm not the first to use it in our pedigree - but I digress) anyway in June of 1718 James and Mary Crawford stepped off a boat (that departed Golen Ireland) and started a new life in America.

So now, in 2009 we're 9 years short of being 300 years back in Mandy's history but it still isn't far enough. Her family spent close to 100 years in Ireland prior to being driven out of Paisley Scotland so we have to go back into the early 1600s.

So 400 years ago Mandy's great great... well ... let's just say a really great set of grandparents were in Scotland trying to live a good life devoted to Christianity. The problem was with this guy named James (son of Mary queen of Scotts) who became King of England (he was formerly the King of Scotland) and he did a couple of things you can probably relate to. First, he brought Scotland and England under one rule and called himself "King of Great Britain" (the "Great Britain" name kind of stuck). Second, he authorized the translation of what we now call the King James Bible.

Any who, James had a son named Charles and he was in charge when this whole mess started, and therefore I hold him responsible for Mandy's attitude. It seems that the Stuart family (we're talking James and Charles here) saw themselves as the "religious authority" and wanted to force their perspective of Christianity on anyone and everyone in Great Britain. They were Catholic. The Crawford's were protestant and apparently that just wasn't good enough. After a skirmish or two it became obvious that the Crawford clan wasn't strong enough to defend themselves against oppression from the kingdom. They would have to denounce their Christian views and follow the religious beliefs of King James and his annoying son Charles - or leave.

So we left.

After the 100 years in Ireland and a trend that suggested Ireland was destined to become part of Great Britain too, Mandy's family ended up in Orange County New York (long before it was the USA). We came in pursuit of a promise of religious freedom. We came here because we want to use the New American Standard version of the bible and don't want some government official lopping off a sibling's head because we refused to read the KJV.

Mandy's ancestors literally fought against England in the American revolution with a dream of building a place where government didn't get to decide what their religious beliefs would be. They wanted to build a country where folks could agree to disagree, but be free to worship without intervention.

They came here to build a place where the minority views held by the weak were not going to be forcefully crushed by the majority views of the powerful. It was the genesis of the separation of church and state. It was a good, check that, a GREAT idea.

And yes, we got our kids to read the bible as they were learning to read. And yes, we called Christmas by its real name and didn't weaken it by printing "Happy Holidays" on our banners. But we never want to forget the times when we were the weak having our religious views suppressed by a society that wanted to decide for us.

If we truly support freedom we must support a freedom that says if the French want to start a corporation called "Target" and put a store in our town, we will give them freedom to hang a "Happy Holidays" banner rather than forcing our Christian views on them. If the Gap wants to welcome (and extract money from) religious groups other than Christians by saying "Happy Honica" or "Rockin Ramadan" we're completely supportive.

We don't need to share their views - we just need to allow them the freedom to have those views.

So, OK, I believe it too. I was going to try to blame Mandy's views on King James and Charles but after looking up that big-ole-pedigree that I found in my Grandmother's papers I have to admit that she comes by it honestly. It's a Crawford thing.

Contrast

I posted a blog about a month ago about taking my 15 year old wife to see Taylor Swift (turns out she was 13 but with that make-up and those cloths, who would know?)

Last weekend we went to see Reba McEntire at the new Allen events center (first show there - the inside of the building wasn't quite finished).

I noticed a contrast that really had something to say about how the world has changed between the time I graduated high school and when my kids got out.

(I have to interupt this post and just say that Pandora (www.pandora.com) might just be one of the best things to happen on the Internet - EVER)

Reba showed up on stage in a black shirt and a pair of jeans. She had 5 band members, simple lighting, one spot light and no props on the stage. When she sang the songs, well, she sang the songs. It was like the CD but you got to see facial expressions and such. When she finished her set and left the stage - she (and all her band members) were wearing the same cloths and the stage was the same.

Taylor Swift was a completely different world. Hydrolics that lifted stages (and people). Multiple stages in different parts of the arena. Many costume changes, props that turned her stage into different movie sets to match the songs, lazer lights, colors and spotlights all over the place, tripple video screens that sometimes showed Taylor, sometimes showed scenes, sometimes had completely different people talking, dancing, singing along - whatever. Some songs had her in different cloths at the start of the song than she wore as she sang the last verse. There was even a period of time when they had the capacity for people in the audience to send text messages to the big screens over the stage. The target was to engage all the senses and overload them. The goal was to change things constantly in an effort to keep an A.D.D generation engaged.

They were two different worlds.

When I was in my early 20s I left the sleepy little town in Wyoming and "engaged" the big city. Since that time I've solved problems for the biggest corporations in the world. I've been called in when everyone else was out of ideas. I've lived thorugh the pressure of needing to be the guy to figure it out. I've been flown to all corners of the planet to jump start the next generation of computer solutions, reached my "lifetime elite" airline status by traveling over a million miles and literally worked on every contenent but Antarctica. I make my home in the biggest city in Texas and drive highways with 8 lanes.

Every now and then I drive back to Wyoming. Once I clear Wichita Kansas I literally leave the "Taylor Swift" world and re-enter the world of Reba McEntire. When I turn north and enter Wyoming, my cell phone has no bars and the FM radio stops working about the time I get to Chugwater. I can push the seek button and it will just fruitlessly search the dial for a signal finding nothing. Driving northwards there are two lanes on my side of the highway, a generous chunk of unused land in the middle and two lines going the other direction. There are times when there isn't another car to be seen to the horizon in either direction and it's rare to see a building during most of the drive.

It allows the senses to relax. It stops engaging every part of my brain. It's simple.

I used to think this kind of simple was worse. I was wrong.

I watched TV with the kids last night

It doesn't really seem like much. I watched a little ESPN (World Series of Poker) and an episode of "The Office" with the kids last night.

The reason we needed (Michelle was with me) to watch with the kids is becasue we don't have cable but the kids have Direct TV and you can't pick up the WSOP on an antenna.

It was amazing (so suck it Mr. "It doesn't really seem like much"). First, for those who require background, the WSOP is the biggest poker tournament in the world. The main event crowns a new world champion every year. This year the event started with nearly 6,500 players paying $10,000 each to enter the tournament. Nine people make the final table and each of them will win over a million dollars but first place gets nearly 8.5 million. Big money but that's not why it was amazing.

When the show started (there have been a series of WSOP shows each seeing the main event field shrinking) there were 18 people left in the tournament. Nine were eliminated during our viewing last night getting to the final table. The nine who went all in (each losing literally millions of chips) with the wrong cards will fade into obscurity. We just won't remember who they were but the nine who survived will be remembered for years. Pretty exciting stuff but that's not why it was amazing.

The best part of the night was when a couple of the top stacks tangled. Both of the players were a sure thing to make the final table. Both of the players had over 20 million chips. Both of the players were dealt two diamonds and then the flop came with three more diamonds giving both players a flush. That hand was magnificant, but that's not why it was amazing.

When the 10th player was eliminated it was a hand where one guy was dealt pocket aces and the other guy had a pair of eights. Big money, big excitement, big disappointment, big emotion. Watching the field go from 14 to 9 was simply....

Well, that last episode was pretty ding-dang nice but the amazing thing was that we were watching TV with the kids. I didn't walk next door to Jack and Mandy's house. I was watching TV with Shane and Cassandra. Their show recorded on their Direct TV DVR in their house.

In Boston.

1800 miles away, Boston it is.

When they paused the show to go to the bathroom or get a snack, we had to wait (because as I said we were watching with them) but Michelle and I were sitting in our livingroom in Dallas.

It's the technology that's amazing. The kids have a high definition slingbox. We have a device called a sling box catcher and using that technology we can sit together and watch TV. Then we can fire up the webcams and even see each other and talk as we enjoy a show together, 1800 miles apart.

And to think I was impressed with pong.

What Did You Do On Your Vacation?

I made one of these...