TechTip: Mozilla Thunderbird Email program

I have never been a fan of MS Outlook Express. Years ago I used Pegasus (and liked it) and then moved to Eudora (liked it even better). In February 2004 I tried version 0.4 of Thunderbird and was impressed that something not ready for primetime was so good. Been using it every since and (drum roll please) version 1.0 was recently released. This means it is officially ready for the masses. One big feature Tbird has going for it is the open source license. I highly recommend the product (even though I prefer the way Eudora stores your email – very nice for making / using backups. . .you do backup your email don't you?)


download Thunderbird

How good is Tbird? Over 1 million downloads in the first 10 days. Of course some of these people might be confusing it with the adult beverage by the same name.

Get high, everybody, get high.
Get high, everybody, get high.
Have you heard? What's the word?
It's Thunderbird.
- from the song "Thunderbird" performed by ZZ Top words by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill & Frank Beard(c) 1973

Zero Tolerance: A Weapon To Disable Crocodiles UPDATE

Kudos to the powers that be in Philly. The scissor girl was issued an apology.

Zero Tolerance: A Weapon To Disable Crocodiles

Do you think a child should be able to take a weapon to school that is powerful enough to disable a crocodile?
A 10-year-old fourth grade girl takes a pair of scissors to school. Philadelphia School administrator decides she violated the policy of bringing a "potential weapon" to school so they call police. Police put her in handcuffs and take her to the police station before deciding no crime was committed.

No Crime?!?!? How about STUPIDITY. Not the girl but the school officials. We have become so wrapped up in zero tolerance of "drugs" and "weapons" that we arrest children for aspirin or scissors.

Three decades ago there was the following dialog in the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" between villain Tee Hee and Bond as Tee Hee was leaving Bond to die as crocodile bait:

Tee Hee :- "There are 2 ways to disable a crocodile you know..hehe"
James Bond :- "I don't suppose you care to share that information with me?"
Tee Hee :-"Well one way is to take a pencil, and jam it into the pressure hole behind his eye"
James Bond :- "And the other?"
Tee Hee :- "Oh the other is twice as simple. You just put your hand in his mouth and pull his teeth out! Haha hehe hehe!!"

You can even hear the soundclip here

So what next Honorable School Officials, the banning of pencils by school kids?

When you were young and your heart was an open book,
You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.)
But if this ever changing world in which we live in,
Makes you give in and cry...
Say live and let die.
- from the song "Live and Let Die", words by Paul and Linda McCartney (c) 1973

"the music was playing faster than he could dance to..."

Back in 1979 the tugboat CAHABA had a wee bit of trouble on the Tombigbee River in Alabama. Read the story here and then check out the AMAZING photos here.

Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

- from the song "Proud Mary" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, words by John Fogerty (c) 1969

Sci-Fact: PEG – The Next Wonder Drug?

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a water-soluble, waxy solid. The generalized chemical formula is:

H-(OCH₂CH₂)_n-OH

PEG enhances the delivery of some drugs, provides a watertight seal after cranial surgery, cures constipation, is used in caustic oven cleaner, and makes your shampoo thick. Quite interesting since a close chemical cousin, Ethylene glycol, is very toxic.

All well and good but what makes PEG a wonder drug? How about nerve repair to spinal cord injuries? Test on dogs involve the direct injection of PEG into the spinal cord injury. The treatment reversed paralysis in a high percentage of cases. Test show it must be administered in 72 hours after the injury to be effective. The FDA has yet to approve any testing on humans.

Want more? How about altering it to Maleimide-Polyethylene Glycol (MPEG) and using it for artifical blood?

I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true

- from the song "Peg" performed by Steely Dan, words by Fagen and Becker (c) 1977

Pre-Born, Post-Born what is the difference?

Very disturbing report from Amsterdam about a hospital in the Netherlands "euthanizing" babies.

The value of life continues on a 30-plus year decline in Western society. The cornerstone of this (or should I say main tomb stone) is abortion. Unborn eagles have more value than unborn babies (LOGIC CHECK: abortion is legal, destroying a Bald Eagle egg is a Federal crime, therefore an unborn eagle has more value than an unborn human). Now it starts with post-born children. First the terminally ill, and then mentally retarded, next will be ones with little chance of a quality life. So we pound into our children taking a life is acceptable and then we wonder about child on child violence.

Did citizens of past great civilaztions realize the fall was taking place while it occurred or were they blind to it?

"We don't understand
he's not like we planned"
the doctor shakes his head
"abnormal" they cry
and so they decide
this child is better dead

- from the song "Baby Doe" by Steve Taylor (c) 1984