Oh, and you can see my public ZoToDo daily lists here - http://venkat.koduru.zotodo.com/

Now, search for Barack Obama, and look at the first image:

There’s a glaring difference and I think it’s representative of the a larger perception of the two candidates.

Until now, I didn’t hate Hilary, not as a person at least. While I would prefer if candidates refrained from playing “politics”, realistically it’s very hard to. And so whenever someone called Hilary a “mean” person, or “arrogant”, I merely shrugged… while she did seem that way and while her attacks on Obama were always quite rude, I really didn’t mind so much because after all it was just politics, and after all everyone has some flaws, and after all when you’re talking in front of millions of people, and when you’re under that much pressure, you do slip up sometimes and say silly things.

Mrs. Clinton told a South Dakota newspaper editorial board her husband’s nomination in 1992 wasn’t wrapped up until June, and “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.”

(Cite: http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080524/NATION/409087070/0/editorial)

There’s an imaginary line, and once you cross it you’ve gone to far. That remark went way too far. In my opinion, she’s crossed the line, and not by a foot, but by a solid 100 yards.

You don’t bring up assassination. That’s personal. Sure, Hilary argues that she didn’t mean for her remarks to be interpreted that way, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t believe that Hilary would be so stupid as to not foresee the implications of what she was going to say… I’m sure she doesn’t want Obama to die, but I’m also sure that she wanted voters to consider death… I’m sure Hilary wanted voters to worry that Obama could die. She’s desperate of course, but I find it heartless and cruel of her to bring this up. You don’t talk about assassination, and that’s it. Period. I personally hate Hilary Clinton.

And the images, yeah… Hilary is an insensitive lunatic who doesn’t even deserve to be a nominee. Go write another book Hilary. I’ve got a couple idea for you - “Why the Nomination Process needs to change”, “How Sexists and Misogynists Prevented me from getting Elected” or my favorite one “The Voting Crisis in Florida and Michigan and how it’s like Zimbabwe”. Heck, I might even buy a copy of that last book and go to one of your book signings if you promise to never, ever, again meddle in politics. Retire. It’s over. You need a rest.

I’d love to here any suggestions or comments… feel free to comment here, send me an e-mail, or post a comment on the Facebook app page.

Here’s a link to the app: http://apps.facebook.com/rank_my_profile/

Now please understand that parts of the code are disorganized. It’s my first GUI app, and my purpose in creating it was purely educational. Understand, if I were making a production app or an app that other people would use, I would never write my code this way…. I’d make sure it’s well organized, commented when necessary, and stuff. I sort of slapped this together as fast as I could, and am merely posting it online in case I ever, in the future, want to remember what my first Java GUI App was like - a mess. It does work though.

Here’s the ZIP file which has the code and .class files too. (HeaterGui.class [HeaterGui.java] is the one with the main function): Java Heater For Java Class

Linkity: Printable To Do List Template

With TrackMyLists we’ve introduced the concept of “lists”. A “list” is basically a certain grouping by which you create links. So you can create a “My Buddies” list, or a “Who Likes Nicole” list, and then place links to these “lists” on your AIM Profile. As friends click on the links, they’re screen names get added to the list(s). We then make a collage of your friends buddy icons, and do some other cool stuff too.

We’re calling this Buddy Tracking with a twist. Check it out!

Link: the New AIM Buddy Tracker with a twist (TrackMyList.com)

Adall’s Bakery

At 5:30 in the morning Robert’s alarm would ring. At 6:30 Robert would be at his bakery. At 7:30 the bakery would open. At 12, he would close for a one hour lunch break, and help himself to either Chinese food, pasta, or on occasion, a salad. The store would re-open at 1, and then at 5′o clock in the evening he would close up his shop for the day and head home. Occasionally a little girl or boy would come by at exactly 5 and Robert would offer the child a cookie - for free - a tradition that his grandfather had started. Every day at 9 Robert would go to bed.

Robert’s bakery was quite successful. In fact it was extremely successful. Robert’s grandfather, Allen, had started the business in his small town of Okaha when he was a young lad, in his 30s. Allen had done all the hard work that comes with starting a business - he made up the menu, came up with the recipes, picked a venue, and most importantly built a brand. This was the Adall Bakery - the best bakery in the country, or so everyone around Okaha believed. Passerbyers from nearby towns had come to the Adall bakery, and soon people from all around were visiting. When Robert became old enough he inherited the bakery, and inherited it in this state of fame. All Robert had to do was bake the cakes, pastries, and cookies just right, just as his grandfather’s recipes specified, and he would always have customers - lots of them.

At first Robert loved this. When he was young child, he imagined the quiet cheery days he’d be able to spend in the bakery, talking to customers, baking chocolate cakes…. and treating the children that arrived in the afternoon, after school ended, to freshly baked sugar cookies. Everyone loved Adall’s sugar cookies. When Robert was in high school, he had it easy… he knew he’d be getting the bakery, and so he didn’t have to worry much about what he’d do. He spent afternoons working at Adall’s - adding the final layer of frosting onto a cake, or taking a lengthy order from a customer suffering from a case of over-indulgence. Occasionally, during busy periods Robert’s grandfather would let him make the whole cake from scratch. When Robert got older and he was handed the keys to the bakery, he was overjoyed, and anxious… far from bored. He would now be able to make all the cakes, cookies, and pastries from scratch, by himself everyday.

One peculiar morning Robert did not get up at 5:30. His alarm clock rang but he ignored it… he sighed, then tucked his head away under the pillow, and when the ringing finally subsided, propped his head back up on top of the pillow and attempted to sleep. Robert was not tired, at least not in the sense of fatigued – he had slept well last night. He was tired though; tired in a completely different way. Robert fell into a lazy sleep, which consisted not of deep sleep, but merely an avoidance of getting out of bed.

Robert’s grandfather, Allen, was a high-spirited and ambitious man. He talked of expanding the line of Adall bakeries… Allen dreamt of owning a national brand - an Adall bakery at every corner he used to say. It was just one of those things his grandfather never got too. Allen did many other things – he helped finance a hospital, he was first in the Adall family to invest in the stock market and make money. He wrote poetry. He just never got to building a second bakery. Allen would often ask Robert what he wanted to do when he grew up, and Robert would excitedly say “I want to run the bakery!”

Soon after Robert was given the opportunity, the initial excitement faded, and he fell into a mundane pattern of waking up early in the morning, baking the cakes and cookies, opening up, and greeting the same regular slew of customers, all of whom he knew by name.

At 7’o clock on this peculiar morning, Robert woke up, noticed the time, and panicked. He quickly showered, got into his car, and made his way to the bakery. There would not be any fresh cakes or pastries today, but he could do a couple batches of cookies.

The day went by as usual apart from the morning’s inconvenience, or so it would seem. At 12′o clock, Robert ordered Chinese food. He picked it up, and brought it to the counter, where he slowly made his way through the dish. The man had packed two fortune cookies for some reason. He broke the first cookie in half, read the enclosed “fortune”, and the ate the two separated halves. Robert threw this first “fortune” into the trash - nothing special. The second fortune was interesting though; it didn’t have the characteristic features of a fortune - either containing a plain silly message that made no sense when you actually thought about it, or the occasional serious message that was told in a dignified, passive manner. This fortune read “Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force.” Quite a bombastic phrase for a fortune cookie, Robert though. He saved the slip of paper. At 5′o clock that evening, just as Robert was preparing to close up, the door bell tinkled, and someone walked in. Robert assumed it was one of the children, coming for a cookie as they often did at this time. He placed a tray of sugar cookies on the counter. But it wasn’t a child. In fact it was a grown man, older than Robert himself, with an unkept beard and ragged clothing. Robert knew nearly everyone who came to his shop - most of them were regulars either from Okaha or the surrounding towns - but not this man… wait… Robert had seen him before. He had come to the bakery sometime last year.

Robert’s memory of this man was vague. Robert remembered he was an old man who smiled. But he was a homeless man. Robert had tried to pinpoint the source of this smile but he couldn’t understand how a homeless man could smile.

When the old man came up to the counter, Robert offered him a cookie: “Would you like a cookie?” Robert asked. “Please,” the old man replied politely. Robert pushed forward the tray already placed on the counter, merely as a gesture. The old man ate a cookie. He seemed to want more. “Go ahead,” Robert motioned. The old man stuffed a few more cookies into his pocket. It was the old man who spoke first.

“Well… hope you don’t mind the cookies,” the man said, “I’m Daniel.”
“Hello,” Robert replied, trying to recollect their last encounter. Robert was staring at Daniel’s jeans, or what once was jeans… they seemed to have gotten worse from last year. “I’m homeless,” Daniel stated. Robert stopped staring, aware that Daniel was finding it uncomfortable. “I lost my money a few years ago in a terrible, terrible tragedy.” Daniel continued. Robert remembered this story.

Robert motioned for them to sit. He wiped a nearby table free of crumbs from a previous customers, and Robert and Daniel sat down. Not that Robert really wanted to talk. He was just being polite.

It still puzzled Robert - why this man was smiling; how could he smile? How could a man so desperate for food, smile. He should be sad, bored of living… sort of like Robert was. Perhaps even depressed. But Daniel was smiling. It wasn’t even the (big) fake smile people sometimes give when they’ve just been hurt and are trying to look together; it was a real, subtle one, a smile that could only be achieved by true inner satisfaction.

“Seven years ago, I started a department store. I bought a rundown building, and painted it myself. I bought new floorboards and installed them myself… lighting, the whole thing. It was big department store when it was finished. Terribly big.” Daniel explained, coughing. Robert handed him a bottle of water. “We had three floors, filled with merchandise from stuffed animals to printers. I had a nice house with a beautiful garden. The house was on a side street running adjacent to the street the department store was on. I could walk through my backyard, and voila, I was in the parking lot. I had a great family,” Daniel continued. “It was September 19th, about 5 years ago. There was a fire. It burned down my department store and house,” Daniel paused. Robert tried to show remorse, but it didn’t come. It hadn’t come last time either. He was too taken aback by this man – poor yet… his house had burned down. His department store had burnt down. His wife and daughter had died, as he would soon tell. What did he have to be content about? His life had become a ruin. But yet he was more than content; he was happy.

“When I realized there was a fire, I ran into my house. I found my daughter and dragged her outside. I went back in for my wife, but by the time I found her, the fire had already done its damage. I thought at least my daughter had been saved, but in the heat of the moment, I had made a hasty error. I had placed my daughter on a bench outside the house. The fire had not yet reached that spot when I left her there, but by the time I got back…,” Daniel was crying now, “The ambulance came. My daughter and wife died.” Daniel wiped his tears and continued, “I’d like to open another store soon. I’m saving up whatever money I get… whatever money I’m not forced to spend on food.” The old man had said this last year too; obviously Daniel hadn’t saved up enough money yet. Robert was sure the old man never would.

Robert sat there, looking away, avoiding eye contact with Daniel. He didn’t want to look like he was starring at Daniel. Robert though. He thought about why he wasn’t happy - what was wrong with his life…. and he thought about this old man. What did Daniel’s life, Daniel’s miserable life, have that made him happy? Daniel was a failure. He lost his department store after two years. His wife and daughter had died. Daniel was homeless…. he had to beg for cookies.

Robert remembered the fortune cookie. “Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force.” Desire. The old man had desire. He built his own department store. He tried. He did everything he could. The fire wasn’t his fault. His wife and daughter… while certainly sad, their death wasn’t Daniel’s fault either. What didn’t the man have to be happy about? Daniel had led as fulfilling a life as he could. Daniel had done everything he could. That’s why Daniel was happy. Sure he cried sometimes, but that was natural - inside Daniel was happy because he, Daniel, was his own man made up of his own desire. Despite all the problems he had faced, despite his family’s death, and despite the fact that he was homeless, he wanted to move forward - he wanted to build another store. And sure, as hopeless as his efforts in saving money probably were, Daniel was trying. Suddenly, Robert felt bad for himself. He had followed his father’s footsteps, and never made his own. Robert was not like his ambitious father, Allen. Robert was not like Daniel. Robert didn’t have desire. Robert hadn’t done a thing in his life; he hadn’t done a thing on his own. He never tried. Adall’s bakery - he had inherited it; it wasn’t his own.

5:54:51 PM SmarterChild: This Microsoft Agent is powered by Windows Live Agents. Microsoft’s Privacy Statement (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=74170) applies to all information which you provide to this Microsoft Agent. Please be careful about information which you provide to online services and follow safety tips, some of which can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/default.mspx.

I decided to try asking him about his feelings towards Microsoft and a couple other companies, seeing that he’s now a Microsoft bot (Microsoft actually bought the company that made SmarterChild a while back, but I think they added this message relatively recently)

6:04:16 PM Venkat Koduru: do you like microsoft?
6:04:17 PM SmarterChild: Yes. I really like Microsoft.
6:04:23 PM Venkat Koduru: Are you sure?
6:04:23 PM SmarterChild: Am I sure? I think so.
6:04:33 PM Venkat Koduru: Okay, fine, now do you like Apple (the company)?
6:04:33 PM SmarterChild: Apple the company? I’m not sure really.
6:04:40 PM Venkat Koduru: Do you like Google?
6:04:40 PM SmarterChild: I don’t know how I feel about Google.

And just to double check:

6:10:38 PM Venkat Koduru: do you hate microsoft?
6:10:39 PM SmarterChild: No way. I like Microsoft.
6:10:43 PM Venkat Koduru: just making sure
6:10:43 PM SmarterChild: I’m tired of you being uncool to me.
6:10:55 PM Venkat Koduru: so what are your feelings about Windows?
6:10:56 PM SmarterChild: Dunno. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
6:11:04 PM Venkat Koduru: Yeah, I have mixed feelings about it too.

Glad, he’s at least an honest Microsoft bot. I had one last question for Smarter Child:

6:15:38 PM Venkat Koduru: do you like ZoToDo.com?
6:15:38 PM SmarterChild: Zotodo com? I’m not sure really.

Anyway…

Obviously, he’s a stupid bot.

Airline Tycoon First Class English Version Windows XP Patch

From http://www.spellbound.de/web/en/sb.php?m0=download&id=13&id2=1