Four years ago, Nader appeared on the ballot in 43 states and Washington, D.C., garnering only 2.7 percent of the vote. But in Florida and New Hampshire, Bush won such narrow victories that had Gore received the bulk of Nader's votes in those states, he would have won the general election.

Exit polls from 2000 show that about half of Nader's voters would have backed Gore in a two-way race. Nader dismisses the spoiler label.

[ Yahoo! News - AP Poll Finds Bush, Kerry Tied in Race ]

So if 1/2 of Nader's voters would have backed Gore, who would the other 1/2 of his voters have backed? I am so fed up with the Democrat's lame whining about Nader running. If you man is so darn good, he should have little to worry about. And if he's not that good, he should drop out since he's reducing Nader's chances of winning.

For the record I am a republican, that's right a republican. And I've just bought Nader's book to see what he's all about.

Why? I like giving all sides the benefit of the doubt and reviewing what they have to say.

As for the dems, I don't think they have what it takes to run the country. Their man Clinton was just a Northern Virginia Republican living in the wrong state, and Jimmy Carter (a man I respect for his post-presidential career) was highly ineffectual. JFK? We'll likely never know what how he would have been judged by history, due to his unfortunate circumstances. Kerry's best asset? He's the “most electable” against Bush. He's not the “best candidate” or “the right man for the job” or any other political posturing, he's just the guy that most democrats think has the best chance of ousting Bush. Personally I don't think that's the best way to pick the countries leader.

With that I say, each man to his corner and come out fighting, but not whining please.

Here's what my day is going to look like:

Building secure Web sites is a top priority for developers today. To do this it is important to understand Web security fundamentals and the nature of threats to applications. In this track we will explore Web security basics and the methodologies for determining at-risk aspects of Web applications and how to defend them. We'll walk through the Microsoft security best-practices reference application for OpenHack throughout the track and see how you can put those same best practices to work for you.

[ DevDays 2004: Web Development Track ]

There's been a lot of focus on testing and security these days, I hope we'll get into a good bit of detail in these sessions.

Sergei Gonchar came to Washington as a shy, fresh-faced 20-year-old defenseman with a world of promise and just a few words of English in his vocabulary. On Wednesday, Gonchar departed DC as the NHL's leading scorer among defensemen and one of the top blueliners in the league.

[ Washington Capitals- News ]

Maybe DC is getting good value for the trade. Maybe this is a good move for them. But I don't like this one bit. Who's next?

Amazon.com is pushing the Alexa toolbar big time:

They suggest that I tell my readership the following:

Through our partnership with Amazon.com, we are offering an exclusive davidkearns.com version of the award winning Alexa Toolbar. With the toolbar you can search the web, using their amazing search engine, right from your toolbar. Plus, when you download and use the toolbar, you'll help support davidkearns.com.

I'm not sure what the Alexa Toolbar really does for you, but I like getting support, so I'm proud to stand up and declare the “exclusive davidkearns.com version of the award winning Alexa Toolbar” is the best Alexa Toolbar that you can get anywhere on my site.

Update: It does have a popup blocker...

Black Angus on Rosemary Parmesan Bread Black Angus steak, mozzarella, cheddar, mushrooms, sauteed onions, *Honey Bourbon Mustard and Zesty Grille Sauce

[ Quiznos Sub: Quiznos Subs Menu ]

Purchased from Quiznos' most recent opening 1025 Vermont Ave, just 2 blocks from my office! I also picked up some Jalapeno chips and a few pepperocinis.

* Honey Bourbon Mustard left off due to forbidden alcohol.

Oh, and they have a pepper bar...

The study was largely based on random telephone surveys of 1,555 Internet users taken from March 12 to May 20, 2003. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. That survey found only 2 percent of users keeping blogs, although a preliminary analysis of follow-up surveys from early 2004 showed the figure increasing to about 7 percent.

[ Yahoo! News ]

The Pew Internet and American Life Project clearly has missed some important rules to gathering data. You don't phone up people and ask them about their blogging activities. Folks who blog are far too busy to answer the phone, if they even have a phone. Maybe they should start a blog, and then we'll all comment on their blog, and then they'll have the data they need. Personally, busy or not, I don't answer the phone if it says “Unknown caller” or whatever my cell phone reads, and I haven't had a land line in years...

Lately it has come to my attention that many people think that sweets and candies are what causes tooth decay, and that they should be avoided and replaced with “more healthy“ items. This didn't dove-tail with my understanding so I, naturally, did a bit of research:

Sweets like cake and candy are not much worse for your teeth than bread, biscuits, potato chips, fruit salad, and a glass of milk.

[ Diet and Dental Health ]

Sweet treats such as cakes, cookies and candies etc, are not measurably worse for your teeth than a hearty meal of rice, dal, chapatti, bhaji, fruit and a glass of lassi!

[ Pediatric Oncall ]

According to Environmental Nutrition, crackers and dried fruit are prime culprits, as they "stick to teeth tenaciously." Chocolate has an anti-decay substance that may or may not make up for its high sugar content, but it should be no worse for your teeth than any other carbohydrate.

[ Men's Fitness ]

Second Cup, a Canadian coffee chain, has a noteworthy website:

Second Cup has earned the distinction of being Canada’s number one specialty coffee retailer for more than twenty-five years by remaining committed to two important founding principles...

[ Second Cup Coffee Company ]

Why noteworthy? Excluding of Homestar Runner and other serial cartoon sites of it's ilk, I am always unimpressed with the use of Flash on the web. “Always” is wrong, and this site really drives that home. Its use of flash is unique but not overwhelming. The flash loads so quickly that it wasn't clear to me that it was flash until it started moving. Overall I'm impressed. But shhhh, don't tell anyone, or everyone will copy this and it will no longer impress me.

My Mom has been hard at work for a couple years now, and this is the result:

The drug works by starving the tumour of oxygen and nutrients The US government has approved a drug that halts the growth of tumours by cutting off their blood supply.

Avastin has been shown to prolong the lives of those with advanced bowel cancer.

[ BBC NEWS | Health ]

Woo hoo!

Sure she had help, but she's the only one on this project that I know.

Way to go Mom! Way to go Avastin team! Way to go Genentech!

FlipStart combines the performance and functionality of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system with always-on connectivity that fits in the palm of your hand. This combination re-defines mobile computing for users who want access to business-critical software, email, and the Web while on the go.

[ FlipStart.Vulcan.com ]

Don't get me wrong, I love my Dell Axim x3i, but this is what I really want. I wouldn't need my laptop, or my pocket pc, or my fancy phone. Just this and a bluetooth enabled phone (with unlimited bandwidth).

At this rate I fully expect the future to arrive in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2...

Thanks Paul Allen!

Somehow I completely missed this one:

DHL announced today it has reached a major milestone in the integration of DHL and Airborne Express. After only six months, both companies have integrated the majority of their ground and courier networks, and are now launching several new programs for customers. Shipping and logistics customers will benefit from the combination of an expanded domestic portfolio, and a powerful global network.

[ DHL ]

I usually notice news about shipping companies, mostly due to my disdain for UPS, but this one completely slipped my radar. I guess that's what happens when you get a majority of your news from the Beeb.

Check out my new cursors courtesy of CursorXP:

[ WinCustomize ]

Complete with Tanooki suit!

My new plates have been ordered:

[ VA DMV ]

Visual C# “Whidbey” will include several IDE enhancements including a first-class code editor with rich editing features, a powerful debugger, and drag-and-drop visual designers.

[ MSDN TV ]

I am so freaking jazzed. Generics alone will save hours, the new RAD tools will boost productivity, the new debug visualizations would have saved me many hours of debugging, and the refactoring tool is part “bells and whistles“ and part “God send“. The one new item that seems weak is anonymous methods, it smacks of a crutch to me.

He doesn't actually discuss partial classes or site templates, but they will be in Whidbey as well.

I'm not sure about mail signatures that expressly state blogability, though that sounds like a good idea, and I don't agree with the wedding invitation rule, but I'm not very formal when it comes to weddings, otherwise I think these are all good rules. 

Do:

• Use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling in e-mails and other forms of electronic correspondence.
• Don't treat your devices as if they're more important than people.
• Be aware of online subcultures (IRC chatrooms will function differently according to topic).
• Talk quietly when on your cell phone in public
• If you must take a call during a meeting and it will last more than 30 seconds, excuse yourself from the table.
• Attach a note in your e-mail signature file saying whether the contents are bloggable.
• Put contact information, including a phone number if it's a business correspondence, in your e-mail's signature file.

Don't:

• Don't leave your cell phone turned on in meetings, movies, museums, job interviews, worship services, funerals, etc. (exceptions are allowed, but always put your phone on vibrate, warn hosts or companions and, if in a movie theatre [sic], try to sit in an aisle seat).
• Don't read and respond to e-mail on any device during a meeting or a meal.
• Don't send e-mail that does not use conventional grammar, such as upper and lower-case letters in the appropriate places.
• Don't send wedding invitations via e-mail. On the corporate side, never fire people via e-mail.
• Don't watch risqué movies on your portable DVD player while in public.
• Don't send any sort of electronic missive that you would like to keep secret.
• Don't open attachments without being sure you want them.

[ Yahoo! News ]

Anyone have any more?

Although the “improvements” to Metroid have made the game play a whole lot quicker, I think they eliminate only the more banal aspects of the original game. I've “completed” Metroid in just under 4 1/2 hours, which isn't so bad at my age, to arrive at the promised “after story”.

So far it seems like the “voice” of the game has dramatically shifted, though the story seems to be trying to piece in unexplained bits. Clearly the original Metroid wasn't able to handle what later consoles could, so it was light on the details of the story. They've now filled in the supposed bits between the original game and Metroid II or Super Metroid or whichever comes next.

Since I know that everyone else who reads my blog has purchased the game, and has proceeded at least as far as I have, please speak up and give your opinion.