Although I have tried, in vain, for years to tear my wife away from Yahoo!, I have been entirely unsuccessful.  She just can’t part with that oh-so-familiar (and cluttered) UI.  Nor can she bring herself to part ways with sub par features and overly aggressive in-your-face Flash ads.  So, in quiet desperation, I have been forced to synchronize her Yahoo! Calendar with my Google Calendar in order to keep abreast of our household schedule.

Desperate to keep it’s user base from discovering the more responsive and feature rich offerings of it’s “competitors”, Yahoo, of course, adds difficulty and “bugs” to every compatibility feature that they offer.  As such, sharing her Yahoo! calendar with Google never works correctly.  There is some speculation on the web that Yahoo! is intentionally rejecting requests from Google in order to keep their user’s trapped using a calendar system in which they have invested many months or years.  Accessing that calendar from Google would make “the switch”  all the more painless.

I have resorted, until recently, to manually downloading the appropriate ICS file to my laptop and uploading it to Google.  This works, but lacks the obvious…no automatic updates.  I have to repeat the process periodically.

Now, I have been a long time user of Dropbox…it is superb at certain things, and I have tinkered with cygwin over the years for various tasks.  However, it wasn’t until this morning that the solution to my problem came to me…use wget to download the appropriate ICS file to my Public Dropbox folder, then use the public link from dropbox as the source for a subscribed Google Calendar.  Then schedule this to run periodically, and Voilla!!! automatically updated Yahoo! calendars in Google.

The first piece of the puzzle is a bash script which will download the ICS file to dropbox.

cyggetics.sh becomes…

wget -O /cygdrive/c/DropBoxPath/Public/ycal.ics http://calendar.yahoo.com/###YOUR#INFO#HERE###/ycal.ics?id=ID

The ICS link for your calendar is available from within the Yahoo! Calendar interface.

Then, I write a simple CMD script and schedule it to run hourly, or so, from my Windows 7 laptop.

CygGetICS.cmd becomes…

@echo off
C:
chdir C:\cygwin\bin
bash –login -i -c “/cygdrive/c/cyggetics.sh”

This tells the bash shell to execute the appropriate commands.

QED

Note: This obviously could be accomplished with an appropriate windows version of wget, but I found the cygwin approach making me think of all sorts of other possibilities.

Now, I’m not saying he would be thrilled with any political party, given the average politician’s propensity for corruption.  However, let’s assume that he must choose between Democrats and Republicans.

One, although mildly retarded, has the best of intentions to help those less fortunate.  While the other, un-apologetically, is intent to help the richest 1% of the people stay rich at the detriment to the well-being of the remaining 99% of the people.  ALL political policies are derived from these basic tenants.

Now, I’m no religious scholar; however, I find it almost entirely unbelievable that Christ would choose the greedy, hate-filled, Republicans over the slightly slow, and sometimes silly, but well-intentioned, Democrats.  So, if you define yourself as a Christian, meaning that you follow the teachings of Christ, you should start thinking a little harder about the choices that you make at the ballot box.

Jesus would…

• embrace homosexuals, not throw stones at them.
• lift up the poor, not exploit them for profit.
• give healing treatment to the sick, not ignore them
• provide shelter to the homeless, not blame them
• welcome the sinners with open arms, not judge and ridicule them

Some of the things that Jesus would have us do, in his name, are not cheap.  But, you know what.  Nobody said doing the right thing would be easy.  In fact, if you read that book that you like to, so fervently, beat others over the head with, it says just the opposite.

hand touching your face
surprised by the softness

Trying not to tremble,
brushing the hair away.

Smooth and delicate
beneath my hand.

warm and inviting
against my skin.

to press my lips…a gentle kiss.
to catch my breadth…a lingering touch.

softness draws me nearer…
mothers milk…finest silk.

I must pull away.

#2 the night, my lover

the night, my lover,
waiting for me…

accepting…
ever present.

taking me…
never a complaint.

the night, my lover,
cool and dark…

no warm embrace.
no tender kiss.

penetrating air…
dark emptiness.

the night, my lover,
undisturbed.

taking my love…
for only a moment.

showering down
upon my chest.

#3 the night, my lover

the night, my lover,
waiting for me…

accepting…
ever present.

taking me…
never a complaint.

the night, my lover,
cool and dark…

no warm embrace.
no tender kiss.

penetrating air…
dark emptiness.

the night, my lover,
undisturbed.

taking my love…
for only a moment.

showering down
upon my chest.

#4 pisces to please

water rushes
to feed the passion.

over stone and grass
seeking you out.

aquarian delights
bind and blind you…

as pisces seeks its mate.

#5 paper dreams

the sound of your breadth…
naked flesh.

the words that you speak…
ice cold pain.

invite me in…
then shut the door.

waiting patiently in the dark.
for another brief moment

hopefully building
paper dreams in the rain.

#6 morning glow

sleeping through the days
melling you on my pillow.

remembering new embraces.
stolen moments in the night.

warm and glowing
happy in my heart.

wishing.
wanting.
waiting.

you by my side again.

cotton sheets
the soft touch of your skin

still air…
the gentle fragrence of your hair.

heart beating…
the warmth that you give.

you by my side again.

#7 I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

remembering your smell..
longing for your touch.

I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

dreaming of your taste.
silky skin and parted lips.

I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

forgotten wars.
long passed hate

I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

hungry children
sickness and death.

I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

lonely…
lonely…
alone.

I should not have to feel guilty for loving you.

#8 graceland

Only, don’t you know
why the winds blow up skirts…
to softly caress warm flesh
and rustle downy hair…

the palm of my hand visits you
with a gentle cupping frame
to bask in the warmth you give
and bathe in your sweet musk.

fingers dance and skip,
running through the bush.
searching along the way…

feeling the smooth.
and the delicate.
searching along the way.

feeling the divine
and the intricate.

finding your pleasure, and you gasp.

#9 forbidden

forbidden fruit,
I have held you to my mouth.

I have breathed in your fragrence
and brushed my lips against you.

sweet and supple…
longing to be tasted.

longing to taste.
to drink you in.

forbidden pleasure…
I have felt you

yet, forbidden.

#10 drink with me

soft moistness…
your lips…
life-giving nectar.

sweet flesh…
your tongue…
the feast for my hunger.

warm air
from your lungs…
my waking breadth.

the smell
your skin so close…
the fragrance of love longing.

deep inviting green
your eyes…
my world…plunging.

if your love for me
is present,my love,
only in the drunken heart,
then drink from my life, my love.
drink with me the wine
which is your beauty
and lighten your heart.
fly with me
high above the clouds of sobriety
from where I look upon the world
when touched by you.

drink with me.
drink with me.

fill your heart
with abandon
and see the world
for the first time.

#11 Darling, do you know

Darling, do you know
how the winds blow up skirts…
to softly caress warm flesh
and rustle downy hair…

the palm of my hand visits you
with a gentle cupping frame
to bask in the warmth you give
and bathe in your sweet musk.

fingers dance and skip,
running through the bush.
searching along the way…

feel the smooth.
feel the delicate.
searching along the way.

feel the divine
and the intricate.
searching along the way…

finding your pleasure, and you gasp.

Today, I had an epiphany…and here is the result.

A Democrat is standing at my front door.  He has a line of people behind him, all of whom need or want something.  He is explaining to me why it is in my best interest to give him my money to help all of those people in line behind him, and by doing so, help myself.

Standing beside me on my front porch is a Republican.  He points out all of the reasons that I shouldn’t trust the Democrat to spend my money wisely…”It would simply be throwing good money after bad.” he argues.

While the Republican waives his arms in the air and rails against the Democrat’s policies, his buddies are coming out the back of my house carrying all of my fucking stuff.

Some people just don’t get it.  Existing companies embraced the internet, especially the network created through the HTTP protocol known commonly as the world wide web, because of the ease and low cost by which they can communicate with current and potential customers.  Many others started entirely new businesses based upon the same nearly free network infrastructure.  Companies, governments, and individuals alike discovered that they now had the ability to publish content to a world-wide audience, and perhaps even convince some of them to pay for that content.

However, people seem to be operating under the misguided concept that they can publish content / information across a free and open network architecture all around the world and somehow hold those who would actually use that information to some sort of legally binding requirements in regard to how, when, and where they access that information.  Now, primarily, I’m speaking of content which is provided free of charge or ad supported to anonymous users.  Certainly, once money changes hands, there can be considered a legal contract that has been entered into in regard to what product or service is being provided at what cost.  However, in the anonymous or even semi-anonymous user case, simply posting a Terms and Conditions statement does not hold the user legally accountable to the terms of that condition.  Firstly, there is no legal requirement that a web browser application function in any particular way.  Although there are general “standards” (this term used very loosely) upon which all networking protocols work, there certainly is no legal requirement, for instance, that all web browsers honor every “standard” or convention.

A simple example is the “index.htm” page.  General convention states that if there is no specific file included in the Uniform Resource Locator (or URL), that the web server should assume that there will always be present an “index.htm” and web designers should use that page to guarantee that users do not get HTTP404 Errors (page not found).  This does not mean that every HTTP Server is legally required to honor this convention.  In fact, Microsoft’s IIS actually assumes a default page of “default.asp” or “default.htm”.  The same analogy transfers directly to web browsers, or HTTP Clients.  Although, there are conventions and “standards” by which client and servers “should” observe to ensure a consistent user experience, there is no legal requirement that they do so.  There is no international entity that reviews the functionality of every web browser and approves them based upon their rendering of HTML content.  In fact, most browsers actually have to make assumptions about the author’s intent and display HTML elements in the way that it deems to be the most accurate because of the vast amount of poorly formed HTML on the internet.  Likewise, no company, individual, or loosely organized group can be held legally liable for any shortcomings in the web browser (HTTP client) that they produce.  How would that affect text-only web browsers or special browsers intended for use by disabled persons?

With that in mind, there is no legal reason that a web browser can not completely bypass or fail to implement the processing of any particular part of an HTML document that they choose to ignore.  This, without a doubt, means that a publisher of content can NOT guarantee or control how the end user of a document that is published on the internet actually experiences that document or its elements.  There is NO WAY that a user can be assumed to have even seen, never mind actually have agreed to, any such ridiculous Terms of Service agreements that a publish decides to make available on their web server.  This includes such TOS statements which exclude “screen scraping” techniques.  Because, at its simplest, “screen scraping” is simply very poor rendering.

BTW:  This goes TRIPLE for those ridiculous statements included at the bottom of email messages.  Who are these people kidding?  If I send a letter to a stranger, and at the bottom include a phrase which states that by reading this document they agree to send me a check for $100, I better not be planning on retiring early with the flood of funds that will come in from such a scheme.  This is no different than the ridiculous statements that some organizations seem to feel is necessary to include in all emails.

Instead of the threatening, non-binding, legal mumbo jumbo that people seem intent to use, I could accept an earnestly worded request that I be considerate to the producer of any content and not use it in certain ways.  Because, in the end, that’s all the internet really is…an informal agreement that if information is provided in a particular way, that the creator of that information intended it to be displayed in a specific manner.  There IS NO requirement to honor that intent.  There is, however, usually a good faith effort to honor that intent.  That’s what makes the incredible amount of freely available information possible.

In short, don’t threaten me.  Don’t try to insinuate that by accessing the data which you have made publicly available on the internet that I am in some way agreeing to some contract.

To those people…bite me!

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Although, I am interested in those kinds of strings too.

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E-GADS, MAN!!! What an awful pile of steaming SHE-IT!

Slightly worse than Vogon poetry…

I actually considered jamming a straw into my ear to stop the pain.

No amount of alcohol could make it even slightly bearable.

I don’t even think boobs could have made it better.

Several hundred miles from dry land, and I still considered jumping overboard.

Words…can not describe…the agony…the horror…