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Although I know that my experiences with technical support services are by no means atypical, it was nice to see them so accurately depicted in yesterday’s Dilbert comic strip. Especially when it comes to computers, I’m well-versed enough to be able to solve most problems on my own. I call technical support only as a last resort, knowing that in almost every case I will be forced to go through the tedious process of waiting on hold, only to have to rehash my problem with several layers of cue-card readers who are well-versed in walking people through such difficult procedures as rebooting, before possibly speaking to someone that can help me with the actual problem. I used to be an amicable, patient person when it came to such matters, but after too many mind-numbingly frustrating encounters I’ve turned into a cynical, bitter man with a short fuse. Stop making me repeat myself and *fix it* dammit! There, much better.

The L.A. Times reports that Christopher Boyce has been paroled after being in prison since 1977 for his espionage activities. Boyce is best known as The Falcon in The Falcon And The Snowman movie and book, although he prefers not to be called that. The interview goes into some detail about his prison life and eventual parole after the surprising intervention of then-Senator Sam Nunn. However, I wonder whether he would have won his release if the end of the Cold War hadn’t to a degree diminished the seriousness of his espionage…

This computer version of 20 Questions is uncannily right most of the time. In fact, the couple of times it didn’t get it within the allotted 20 questions were blamed on my answering its questions incorrectly, although that’s debatable, I suppose. Try it out!

As promised, I’ve finally updated my photography page. There’s still more I’d like to add, but it’s a start.

Make Your Own Snowflake is a fun Flash application that is pretty appropriate today. I love snow…

The BBC reports that Russian ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky (ironically a member of the “Liberal Democratic Party of Russia”), long known for his controversial right-wing views on just about everything, has had recent comments opposing a war in Iraq turned into a rap song. A fairly crappy audio excerpt is available on the page…

This is a sad day. CNN reports: “Television’s Mister Rogers, the cultural icon and kindly neighbor to generations of American children, died Thursday at the age of 74” after a fight with stomach cancer. His show aired on PBS from 1968 to 2001, entertaining, educating, and simply loving over two generations of children. I can only hope that despite his passing on, reruns of his show will continue to air, because I really hope my children can some day learn as much from him as I did.

NASA has finally received funding for a mission to send a spacecraft to Pluto and more distant objects in the Kuiper Belt. Pluto is the only planet in the Solar System that has not been visited by a spacecraft, and proponents of the mission have long been saying that waiting too long would put Pluto in a much more distant, unfavorable position for exploration. “The probe is scheduled for launch in 2006 and would arrive at Pluto in about 2015, study the tiny planet and its moon, Charon, and then continue on in search of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs).”

The BBS reports that “After more than 30 years, it appears the venerable Pioneer 10 spacecraft has sent its last signal to Earth. Pioneer’s last, very weak signal was received on Jan. 22, 2003.” Launched in 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt and made the first direct observations of the planet Jupiter. It has since continued exploring the outer solar system, beaming back information about the solar wind and cosmic rays. Perhaps most poignant is its mission as “Earth’s first emissary into space,” carrying a gold plaque describing Earth’s location in the solar system as well as the appearance of human beings. Pioneer 10 is silently gliding in the general direction of Aldebaran, 68 light years away, a journey that will take 2 million years.

The BBS reports that “After more than 30 years, it appears the venerable Pioneer 10 spacecraft has sent its last signal to Earth. Pioneer’s last, very weak signal was received on Jan. 22, 2003.” Launched in 1972, Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt and made the first direct observations of the planet Jupiter. It has since continued exploring the outer solar system, beaming back information about the solar wind and cosmic rays. Perhaps most poignant is its mission as “Earth’s first emissary into space,” carrying a gold plaque describing Earth’s location in the solar system as well as the appearance of human beings. Pioneer 10 is silently gliding in the general direction of Aldebaran, 68 light years away, a journey that will take 2 million years.