Open Exhaustion of IPv4

Data source: IPv4 Address Report

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Po'tree, the Haiku thay you do, so well

Following the lineage... from Nobody Asked to Pondering.... to All Atwitter

There are some lovely entries for the Haiku Contest this week! And also a few first timers –

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open History Map - Iran

Click image to enlarge.

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Format

Microsoft is to be commended for accommodating .ODF

May 21, 2008 11:00 AM PDT

Microsoft boosts support for rival formats in Office

Posted by Mike Ricciuti

Microsoft is opening up Office to other file formats, slowly but steadily.

On Wednesday, the company said it plans to add new formats to Office 2007, including the Open Document Format (ODF), Portable Document Format (PDF), and XML Paper Specification (XPS). The new formats will be added to Office as part of Service Pack 2 for Office 2007, due in the first half of next year.

ODF, a rival document format to Office's native format, has become popular with governments and schools. Microsoft, acknowledging requests for compatibility with ODF, released a converter to allow Word users to open documents saved in the OpenDocument format.

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Messenger (and the question of killing same)

In a previous post I embedded the entire article that was reprinted in our local "news" paper. I will not refute the content of this article. I do find the 'retelling' of an ugly truth, regardless of its truthiness, reprehensible.

I am very disappointed by the matter-of-fact reporting of bigoted opinions and attitudes held by too many Kentuckians. I believe that the people who maintain such opinions and attitudes see the printing of this story as legitimization of these reprehensible values.

"Heh heh, Bubba, ya seen they printed what I said in the Noosepaper? Didja?"

I believe that small town media outlets like the one here in Owensboro Kentucky have an obligation to help heal the rifts that have divided our country for such a long time. Simply mouthing the 'truth' is a much a part of the problem as is the reality of hatred and bigotry.

I suggest that the Messenger is responsible for the content of the message and should be held accountable.

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Endorsement: McBush fer Prez!

I for one will sleep better knowing . . . we have a good alternative in Mr. Barack Obama

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Request

Please help us free Dr. Biscet unjustly sentenced to 25 years in a Cuban jail by the Castro brother's fascist dictatorship in Cuba. Dr. Biscet is a recipient of the 2007 Presidential Medal of Freedom and an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience. Dr. Biscet is the founder of the Lawton Foundation, a human rights organization made illegal by dictator Fidel Castro.The Lawton Foundation peacefully promotes the defense of all Cubans through nonviolent civil disobedience. Dr. Biscet, is a follower of the Dalai Lama, Thoreau, Gandhi & Martin Luther King Jr. and wants to bring democracy and justice to Cuba. We have been there fighting for Biscet since 1999, please help us tell the world about him! Please email us at: free.biscet@gmail.com
Please visit our new blog at: http://free-biscet.blogspot.com/ Thank you and God bless!

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Pa^2 Patois, Why I blog.

The three R's

• Reporting
• Ranting
• Recording

I have the questionable good fortune to come from a rather long line of notorious, famous and infamous folks (Search1, Search2). Sadly, what is missing are the insights and antics of my father, Bill VI. A giant in his own right my Papa was not one to bask in the limelight or to write anything more than a grocery list. As a result there is a gap in the family history. My intent in blogging is to leave a written legacy for William VIII and the roman numerals to follow.

Reporting: This might actually be better thought of as journaling but J&2R's didn't have the right ring to it. Detailing my adventures with the mundane aspects of my life like mowing the lawn. Letting my heirs and readers know that even the most everyday details fell under the scrutiny of an OCD, TMI kinda guy. That I would spend my vacation with Ted. Or that I would spend an inordinate amount of time setting Linux up on this laptop (yet to be posted).

Ranting: I almost put that in all-caps. My blog is my soap box that I am allowed to rail from. It is my wilderness into which I can cry. It is the Intertoob that I can pour forth sound and fury, signifying . . . er, something. In a universe where there is no privacy, where we stand cyber-shoulder to cyber-shoulder my blog is the wall on which I can tag my own brand of graphiti.

Recording: Some critics will observe that there is only a little original content in my blog. Well, I ain't writin' no literary master piece here, Bubba, so's ya'll cain take your criticism and put it in the above category. I include articles, blurbs, quotes, pictures and other blog posts as a way of recording my perspective of the [cyber]world that we live in. I do my best to cite my source with each piece I "borrow". I do not receive any economic benefit from my blogging so it is not like I am gaining some advantage from the work of others. Pa^2 Patois is and will hopefully continue to be one man's view of the world.

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Denial: We just don't admit

Open Denial: We just don't admit we live in Kentucky... (Reprinted in and copied from our local paper. Note the underlying support for political freedom and the glaring lack of social condemnation of bigotry. I guess it is freedom of the press. To me it is more like yellow journalism reporting a black and white issue.)

Many may play race card as they cast ballot

5/20/2008

By Rex W. Huppke

Chicago Tribune

MUNFORDVILLE -- Mike Rife is white, a semi-retired factory worker with a high school education and a two-foot square sign on his lawn that makes friends and neighbors flip him the finger as they drive by.

The sign reads: "Obama for President."

"I think I almost know what it feels like to be a black guy," said Rife, his voice gravelly and defiant. "I take heat every day. I got an Obama sticker on my car, and I catch hell for it."

Munfordville is the seat of Hart County, a rural swath of Kentucky farmland. Its Democrats will vote, and vote hard, for Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's primary. And if Barack Obama goes on to win the nomination, many of those Bluegrass State Democrats say they will vote against him quicker than you can say, "Race doesn't matter."

"They won't vote for a black man," Rife said of the people he has lived around all his 57 years. "That's all there is to it. They just can't bring themselves to do it."

A walk around this central Kentucky town of 1,500 supports Rife's opinion. Whether in the Dairy Queen or the dollar store or along the sidewalks of a courthouse square ringed with shuttered business, people speak freely of their dislike for the lanky senator from Illinois.

Terry Jordan, 47, who runs a year-round garage sale in front of an old filling station on Main Street, put it simply: "It's his color."

The Munfordvilles of America -- and there are many -- present a troubling reality for Obama's campaign, as his lopsided loss in neighboring West Virginia showed. These are the places where lofty talk of transcending race is dragged to earth by a weighty reality that has nothing to do with Obama's position on the federal gas tax, Clinton's tenacity on the campaign trail or even the off-putting rants of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"Right now it's not that Hillary attracts the white vote," said Jack Bunnell, 79. "It's that Obama's black."

It's a notion the Clinton campaign has been subtly pushing, claiming that only she can secure a Democratic vote in many large, predominantly white expanses of America -- particularly in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, potential keys to the fall election.

Obama's strategists have argued that once he secures the nomination, most Democratic voters will swing his way. They set forth as evidence his strong showing among white voters in Iowa, Wisconsin and Virginia. But the demographics of those states, particularly in terms of education and income, favor Obama.

Kentucky was a border state in the Civil War. It eventually sided with the Union, but much of the populace either joined or supported the Confederacy. Munfordville was the site of a major victory for the South, one that marked a high point of the Confederacy's westward push.

Anyone thinking a black politician could come onto the national stage and simply win these Kentuckians over is being naive, residents say. And it's not, as some outsiders might believe, because the town's voters are ignorant.

"To attribute it solely to ignorance would be totally inaccurate," said Melody Chaney, a financial adviser in Munfordville and a Clinton supporter. "It's a matter of education, their upbringing and their background, peer pressure. There are lots of factors that contribute to this."

The day after Obama won the Iowa caucuses, Chaney said, every client she spoke to expressed shock.

"They couldn't believe it," she said. "I think in rural America, certainly among Democrats, the vast majority would like a white male candidate."

But not everyone. Tim Carter lives on a narrow, crescent-shaped road called National Turnpike, a block or so off Main Street, an area known as "the black part of town." He's an Obama supporter, though he knows his man stands no chance in Kentucky.

"He shouldn't even bother to fly over," said Carter, who was born and raised in Munfordville and has spent 35 of his 56 years working in a nearby factory.

He likes his town and says there's little friction between blacks like himself and whites.

"People get along pretty well," he said. "The racist end of it, that will always be here. There's black people that don't like white people, and white people that don't like black people. But there's not much trouble."

Webster Rogers, 23 and also black, said that in high school he felt welcome visiting the homes of white friends. But often he would spot Confederate flags hanging on the walls, reminders of differences that still linger.

That divide has provided fertile ground for Obama conspiracy theories. Residents opposed to Obama seem inclined to latch on to false rumors about the candidate or negative exaggerations about his views.

"I believe that he's a Muslim," said Susan Horton, 56 and white. She leaves her living room whenever Obama comes on the television. "I think that if he gets into office, there's going to be another bombing."

"He's not patriotic," said Brandy Trulock, a 21-year-old mother of two. "If you can't salute the American flag, I don't think you should be allowed to run for president."

At his never-ending garage sale, Terry Jordan sells second-hand blue jeans, ceramic tchotchkes and anything else he can get his hands on, displaying his wares on a flatbed trailer and a few rickety folding tables. He makes about $100 a week to supplement his $720 monthly disability check.

He's all Democrat, all Clinton and, if Obama wins the nomination, all for Republican John McCain. He doesn't trust Obama, has serious questions about the Muslim rumors and truly believes a black man will not survive long as president of the United States.

Jordan claims there's nothing Obama could say that would change his mind.

From the resolute tone of his voice, and the sight of the rebel flag tattoo on his left arm, there's little reason not to believe him.

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open: 1001 words

Can you say "BSOD" children? I knew you could.

H/T to the Fake Steve Jobs

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Social Netwha'?

Cain't hear the convo-content for all the danged invites, pokes, twits, prods and promises... "@everyone would #you be #my, could #you be #my . . ."

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Heros: Sichuan Earthquake

China:国殇

Global Voices Online by Bob Chen

This girl teacher is only 20. In the school in Shifang where she worked, she ran time after time into the 3-story teaching building to save the best she could. While at the last time she got buried forever. 13 students were saved by her.

The story of a mom should be proper to end this article. （A rough translation)

抢救人员发现她的时候，她已经死了，是被垮塌下来的房子压死的，透过那一堆废墟的的间隙可以看到她死亡的姿势，双膝跪着， 整个上身向前匍匐着，双手扶着地 支撑着身体，有些象古人行跪拜礼，只是身体被压的变形了，看上去有些诡异。救援人员从废墟的空隙伸手进去确认了她已经死亡，又在冲着废墟喊了几声，用撬棍 在在砖头上敲了几下，里面没有任何回应

She was found dead under the collapsed house, kneeling down, creeping and leaning forward, both hands on the ground holding her body…..

经过一番努力，人们小心的把挡着她的废墟清理开，在她的身体下面躺着她的孩子，包在一个红色带黄花的小被子里，大概有3、4个月大，因为母亲身体庇护着，他毫发未伤，抱出来的时候，他还安静的睡着，他熟睡的脸让所有在场的人感到很温暖。

Suddenly, people found a 3-4 month baby under her body, wrapped in a red-yellow quilt. Because of the mother’s protecting, he remained unhurt. He was sleeping so peacefully, making all the people around warm.

随行的医生过来解开被子准备做些检查，发现有一部手机塞在被子里，医生下意识的看了下手机屏幕，发现屏幕上是一条已经写好的短信“亲爱的宝贝，如果你能活着，一定要记住我爱你”，看惯了生离死别的医生却在这一刻落泪了，手机传递着，每个看到短信的人都落泪了。

When the doctors were examining the kid, a cell phone was found inside the quilt. An already written text message appeared on the screen.
“Dear baby, if you are alive, please remember I love you.”

The baby. Her mother's gone. But isn't it herself a symbol of new life, the new life of all those suffered so much?

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Sadness

From Global Voices Online - BlogIraq is dead

I am sad to report the death of Ahmed the writer of the blog BlogIraq who was murdered in the Al-Mansour district of Baghdad. May he rest in peace. Iraqi bloggers are a close-knit community and we mourn the death of fellow bloggers as if it is from our own family. There is not one family in Iraq that has been untouched by the violence that gripped our country and Iraqi bloggers are no different. His friend, Mohammed Alani, who helped set up the blog, wrote on BlogIraq:

Ahmed (BlogIraq) is dead. He was killed in Baghdad on April 11th, 2008… He had an appointment that day with a guy he knew. This guy was supposed to get him some documents that prove corruption in some USAID office back in Baghdad. I don't have complete details about it. Anyway, he and the guy bringing the documents were killed at their meeting place in Mansour district in Baghdad…

His brother in-law found him dead with his friend in Mansour district in one of the small streets there. Thank God his body was found, unlike many of our friends who were killed or just vanished without a trace.

When I first setup this blog for him, he gave me the admin password of his blog and I gave him the password of mine. We agreed that whoever dies first, the other should write about it in his blog. Its just my bad luck that he died first. I can only think of his 20 months old daughter. Shes about the same age as my daughter, Aya.

May God take revenge of those who killed him and orphaned his lovely daughter.

Abbas Hawazin adds: “I am feeling so much anger boiling, I tried to cry but I couldn't.”

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Mowing

It appears that our neighbor's son-in-law, who lives down the road, just got a new Kubota tractor/riding lawn mower. I must say that I am envious. I sure wish I had a son-in-law or two.

[WAIT! That was supposed to be a joke...a transpositional circumstance leading to a humorous observation. I don't want any sons-in-law, yet - really I don't.]

Like any red blooded yard tending Merican male I suffer from a huge slight case of ... yeah, you got it ... tractor envy. Most of my longing stems from the fact that my old-n-busted riding mower is still stone cold from last winter. Dead on it slowly deflating tires. So let me tell you a story . . .

Long ago in a corner of the county, far, far away . . .

We bought the Flying Pig Ranch 10+ years ago. When we took possession we were the proud owners of a 1.5 acre clean shaven hillside with the house toward the top. Stretching our before us was reclaimed pasture with all the character of a municipal golf course. You know the ones where you cannot tell one fairway from the next, just a big empty expanse.

For the first couple of years I mowed the entire thing with the exception of the "tall grass". This was a designated section specifically allowed to overgrow as an anti-erosion measure. Once a week I fired up the then new riding mower and burned an afternoon maintaining the barren open field of ... well this didn't even warrant a daydream.

After about the third season of this dutiful ritual I became weary of dealing with the diagonal scar in my expansive fairway that was left when the main run to the leach field had not been adequately back filled. Before I started mowing on that particular Saturday I took the hand mower and outlined a the figure of a snake that twisted around the length of the scar. My "grass snake" would cover the scar and I would have an interesting object-duh-artee in my front yard.

I often wonder(ed) if passing pilots could distinguish my 240 foot long handy work from the air. I am relatively sure the neighbors thought/knew I was a brick shy of a load, a bottle short of a six-pack, crazy or just a burned out hippy. Regardless, the then small children loved the prospect of something, anything in their empty field front yard. They found great joy in running down one side of the grass snake and up the other.

To make an already long story even longer gas prices rose, children grew up, small trees (small greens spots) got planted and old men get lazy(ier). I stopped mowing larger (dark green) sections of the yard. I told myself that just having these pathways were even more engaging than just the yard art.

All of that brings me back to tractor envy. Certainly in the earliest days of scalping the entire "lawn" the riding mower was essential. But today with gas prices as they are and the economy as it is I just couldn't bring myself to invest (yet) in bringing the riding mower back online.

So I took a long hard look at the push mower. "Nah, I got to be nuts to consider pushing that thing all over, up and down the hill. For what?!?!" So that first nice weekend I ignored the mower in favor of my other outdoor activity - jogging. The year before I had set a goal for myself. By the end of that summer I would be able to jog/run 1 mile. You can only imagine how pleased I was to end that season being able to do 3 miles continuously. This year that first 5K might just be within my sights.

The second nice weekend prompted me to revisit the lawn mowing issue again. "OK, ok, I will at least get the push mower running and see what my choices are. Sheeeeesh, gimme a break!" So I fired it up. I started down hill along the long fence line by the drive. "Hey, this isn't so bad." By the time I made it back up the edge of the drive I was huffing and puffing as though I had just done a mile at full speed.

Now any sane man would have made a bee line for the John Deere dealer and spent his economic incentive check on a new shiney 'nothing runs like a Deere' mower and been sensible. Evidently I am a quart low on sensibility and I have already established my level of sanity. As I was straining my hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, back, thighs, knees, ankles and feet I had heatstroke ... heartattack ... an epiphony!

Pushing the hand mower up and down the hill for 2 hours was giving me a priceless, comprehensive full body work out. Plus my lawn was getting mowed. Plus I wasn't spending money on gas to haul my overweight carcass around while doing it. In fact my carcass wasn't so overweight for the benefit of pushing the mower.

So sure I will have bouts of tractor envy. I will, upon occasion, covet my neighbor's Kubota. But I will take pride in a well mowed lawn knowing that I am a better man for it. As for the sons-in-law the girls will have to work out the specifics. There is very little a father has to say about such things these days anyway.

Go forth and mow...and multiply.

- Papa

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open OLPC?

[Updated: See link at the bottom.]

LMNO open OLPC!

from OStatic blogs by samdean

As we reported last month, Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) effort has had rocky times recently. The company has just announced a partnership with Microsoft to put Windows on OLPC laptops, although Linux-based open source versions of the sub-$200 laptops will stay in production. The laptops are targeted at children in developing nations. Recently, several key executives have left the project, including former president Walter Bender. Questions swirled about Bender's reasons for leaving OLPC, but now, in a surprise twist, he has resurfaced. Bender has announced Sugar Labs, a new foundation focused on taking the Sugar user interface in the OLPC laptops to other hardware platforms.

Negroponte has had nothing but trouble and push-back throughout the entire process of bringing OLPC into fruition. I have to wonder just how deep the tendrils of monied interests extend into the slippery innards of those troubles and push-backs.

Here's my guess: BigBusiness paid lip service to the merits of OLPC but fostered the roadblocks that have plagued the project from the beginning. In their incredible shortsightedness BB couldn't recognize 10's, perhaps 100's of millions of new computer users but instead lamented the possible loss of immediate sales revenues.

Negroponte will now find that the BigBusiness of 2nd and 3rd world governments will probably fall all over themselves to get into bed with the BigBusiness of corporate computing interests.

Sadly, while BigBusiness have once again figured out how to line their respective pockets, the little children will have to continue to suffer with inferior products and services.

ABCD BSOD?

[Additional: 5/18/08 -

Microsoft’s plan to block Linux on laptops

]

---

I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.