Survived week three of Human Resource Management. We had a rough time in our PLT largely because of weird incompatibilities between the various version of Word. Microsoft has tried so hard to break compatibility with other word processors (like Open Office and Word Perfect) that the latest version of Word cannot render documents created with versions less than two years old. This is just plain stupid. I'm still planning on running my Win2K laptop until it simply will not function any longer, then switching to something non-Microsoft. Apple is definitely a contender, but I'm concerned about a lot of the DRM coded into it. Linux is getting better by the day; the latest non-guru-full-employment-act version is called XandrOS. I know nothing of this, but what I have heard from others that I trust, but the buzz is that this is the closest yet to a distribution that Just Works. Of course, we have all heard that one before. In any case, I no longer wish to support the Great Beast in Redmond.

Now I see that the patent office has granted a patent to Microsoft for double-clicking on an icon to launch an application. This is stupidity on stilts. The US Patent Office has become worse than useless; they are now a detriment to the economy and to the United State's ability to compete internationally. Hey Bill! I got a double-click for ya... I don't know if the Patent Office is really this incompetent or if they just rubber-stamp everything that comes in the door, especially if it bears the name of a multinational corporation.

How did I get on that? Oh yea, class last night. We went through our usual routine for class, other than we had to break into groups, create a training class, then present them to the rest of the cohort. It wasn't supposed to be serious and, given the personalities in our cohort, it wasn't. I'm not sure that what came out of that exercise could be called "learning", but it was at least entertaining. I was in a fog the whole day because of allergies, sinus infection, and some indefinable cloud of doom hanging over my head. I just thought I was tired until I got home and went to bed. I must of had a fever of some sort; I shivered uncontrollably for a half-hour or so. I felt OK this morning, so I'm not sure what's up. If I'm getting sick, it will have to wait until I can schedule some time for it. I think I have an opening in November...

The weather is starting to shape up into something more like summer, although we are still running the boiler at night. Other than a couple days next week, it doesn't look like that will change in the next ten days. I can't believe we will still be heating the house in mid-June. Global warming by pale, hairy butt.

I will leave you with that mental image. Don't thank me; it's a service that I'm more than happy to provide.