If you use XFinity for home internet, read this carefully!

I got a letter today announcing ComCast’s latest “great” idea. Unrestricted access to MY home wifi. WHAT??!!

I checked and sure enough, without notice or permission, ComCast created a new, unsecured wifi channel in my house (called xfinitywifi).

The pitch is that guests in my house don’t have to ask for a password to use my internet. The reality is ANY yahoo, driving down my street can hijack MY bandwidth for whatever purpose they want. That means that my IP address would be the source address of whatever nefarious activity someone may do while stealing my wifi.

Disable this feature AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!

You can disable the feature. The setting is hidden pretty deep in your account settings. The FAQ link at the bottom of this page will get you there, but you have to look pretty hard to find the links described.

So much yes!

“Crunch Time” used to be a fairly regular occurrence at my day job. About every two years, some big project would come along and require long hours, late nights, massive eye strain, limited sleep, and almost no personal hygiene. If you’ve never smelled a programmer during crunch time, consider yourself blessed.

I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to keep regular hours for several years in a row. But…

This morning, during a quick, stand-up meeting, my shoulders felt that familiar weight. Ahh, hard dead lines. Tough requirements. Smells like… crunch time!

If you happen to see me stumbling into Waffle House at 3 AM, it’s best to just walk away, divert your nose, and pray that it’s over soon. As for me, I’ll be fine. I can’t really smell myself anyway.

Which brings us to this week’s white board quip.

It’s only embarrassing if you care what people think.

It was 2006. The internet was like a proverbial teenager, starting to realize its universe had no edge. Connections speeds were just fast and affordable enough to watch tiny, 400 pixel wide videos. Just enough pixels for an odd, neurotic fellow with unsynced pupils to enthrall a generation. Before YouTube, before the Vlog Brothers and Wheezy Waiter, there was Ze Frank.

But… who cares, really.

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. – Ze Frank

Although… Ze did eventually set up a YouTube channel with selected episodes and there is a KickStarter that may bring Ze’s show back. Or it may just tease us, like Firefly April Fool’s jokes that no one laughs at.

Happy Monday! Let’s start with a piping hot White Board Quip, shall we?

Always be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Then be Batman.

And on that note:

I don’t have time today to really explain “cosplay” to my few regular readers who don’t know what it is. So, Dad, it’s like Halloween for Geeks but without the candy.

I’ve seen enough Batmen (?) and Batman related cosplayers that nothing much garners a second look anymore. But this guy… This guy’s got chops. This idea is so good, I would totally try this. That is, if I had the time, money, and commitment to go to Comicon in costume. So, 1 out of 3 means it won’t happen. But still! Awesome.

On a side note, this image was posted on Pleated-Jeans.com, which does, at least, provide links to where they found the image (better than most aggregate pic sites). But the link in this case was to a Tumblr feed, and Tumblr as you (should) know, is the wild wild west of uncredited pic sharing and creativity theft. I wish there was some way I could give credit to the original dude under that cowl. But I guess that’s all the more Batman-ish. He’s not the clever cosplayer this city wants, but is the clever cosplayer this city needs!

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings,” wrote this passage in 1953.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

3 – 7 – 9 – 1

He died in 1973.

1 – 9 – 7 – 3

Time to plug in your sub-woofer, grab your lightsaber and turn them both up to 11! Seriously!!

A bit of simple wisdom from my youth.

What doesn’t kill you makes you smaller.
– Super Mario

Of course, if I’d grown up with Sega and Sonic, it might say something about losing a pile of gold rings.

Perhaps if Nicola Tesla had had the chance to become a composer, the world would be this awesome. But alas…

This is not mine. But it’s at least as awesome as my videos wish they were when they dream beautiful dreams.