From the "really, I do know better" department

If we want to break even, let alone win, at poker, we should not start drinking mojitos at the same time we start learning the variant. Grandpa would be so ashamed of me.

I have to say, having to ante up only knowing two cards (this is Texas Hold'em) is not the way of my people, and the failure to mentally adjust probably did something to increase my suckitude. But, let's be honest, the b00ze had more to do with it.

Still, a lovely evening.

A NYNEX moment

Verizon tech support just told one of their aDSL customers (who has an account with us, and who called us to ask "can this possibly be true?!") that the reason her connection is slow is because the Ethernet cable from her router to her Mac is longer than 10'.

Ah, NYNEX. You can change your name as much as you like, but your crusty, rat-infested soul will always shine through.

Weakest nuclear war ever.

When a pissing match between two network providers can cause the functional equivalent of the Grand Canyon between vast portions of TEH INTARWEB, I give a lot less credence to the vaunted capability of routing around damage.

Now, it's not all the fault of the base protocols &c. Mr. Networks noted that one of the spoiled brats providers in question was advertising routes for sites that they then refused to actually route to, for instance. And though we had a backup connection (what? preparedness? Say it ain't so!), it is...regrettable...that Con Ed had managed to fuck its routing somewhere along the line and nobody was aware of this until we tried to use it. Thankfully, this is all better now, and I can reach Penny Arcade again. Whee.

Nevertheless, I heartily wish disgusting, degenerative venereal diseases on the people responsible at Cogent & Level 3. Burn like sulphuric acid, you goat-felching fucktards.

A discourse on bodice-shifting

( Fairly technical fitting discussion begins here. )