New home

I have decided to use Wordpress to publish my blog. It has moved to Dedwarmo.com

Flexible non-stick bakeware

I don't like to cook, but I am fascinated by new materials. I thought teflon coated frying pans were cool when they came out. Now there is a new kind of bakeware that looks and feels like rubber, but you can use it to bake things. Teflon was invented by Roy Plunkett who was a researcher for Du Pont. This new material is sold as Smartware and the material is called Temperflex. I haven't done much research and I haven't found who invented this interesting material.

Child friendly

This is a child friendly blog. I don't use profanity and I don't post questionable photographs. I do, however, discuss my beliefs about Christianity and certain ethical issues. I believe in the free exchange ideas and no topic is off limits if addressed in a reasonable manner.

Wordpress allows you to take control of your blog

I've been experimenting with Wordpress blog software that I host myself on my own domain name. It was remarkably easy to set up, is as easy to use or easier than Blogger and to the best of my knowledge has many more features. One requirement is that you must have webhosting that allows you to create a MySQL database. Dedwarmo.com is hosted by GoDaddy.com and has one-click database set-up.

Here's how easy it is to do it:
1. Created the database at GoDaddy.com
2. Downloaded a zip file from Wordpress.org .
3. Modified one text file.
4. Uploaded the files from the expanded zip archive to Dedwarmo.com via FTP
5. Pointed my browser to http://dedwarmo.com/wp-admin/install.php
6. Followed the install instructions that appeared in my browser
7. Finished

Actual detailed instructions are here

Are software patents a good idea?

"...[S]oftware isn't just something new. Software is something fundamentally different. Abstract and slippery, it doesn't conform to the ordinary constraints of the real world of objects. The nature of software has created not only a different kind of intellectual challenge, but a different kind of industry with its own particular economic structure. To this is being applied a 200 year old patent system.

...In most other industries, a product will contain perhaps twenty parts. In the case of sophisticated consumer goods, such as video cameras, we could raise this to 1000 parts. Nevertheless, the constraints of the real world ensure that the complexity of the product cannot become too great. Software, however, is essentially free from these constraints. A major computer program can comprise anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million lines of code. In most other industries a product will involve technologies covered by just a few patents. In the software industry, a product can contain thousands of inventions, any of which might be patented."

From article at League for Programming Freedom

I hate banner ads

I hate banner ads because they are visual distractions, clutter, and slow down my web surfing, not to mention they are often ugly. That said, I came across what I thought was a visually pleasing, clever banner ad. The earphones appear to drip from the words. Neat, eh?

Greensboro Hockey

Bruce Bullington has put together a history of professional hockey in Greensboro, NC, my hometown. I am not a sports fan myself, but I found all the wrangling between Greensboro Coliseum officials and sports franchises fascinating. Excellent job, Bruce.