No Wonder She Can't Hear Me!

This recent study by SARDESAI MG, TAN AK, & FITZPATRICK M. of the Department of Otolaryngology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario has the fetching title of "Noise-induced hearing loss in snorers and their bed partners." Their conclusion, that "there may be a relationship between snoring and noise-induced hearing loss in the bed partners of chronic snorers" was arrived at after studying a selection of chronic snorers and their bed partners, aged 35 to 55. Seems there was nothing conclusive suggesting hearing loss in the snorers. But their partners -- now there's a different story.

"[A]ll four bed partners of snorers in our study demonstrated a unilateral high-frequency pattern of hearing loss consistent with noise-induced hearing loss. Furthermore, the affected ear in every case was the one that was claimed to be chronically exposed to snoring noise."

Read all about it at your local medical library in the Journal of Otolaryngology, 2003;32(3):141-5

Thanks Comfort-Laurie!

Last night I "attended" a 'special event' at Talk About Sleep, a site devoted to sleep disorder patients. It was the roll out of the Respironics "ComfortFull" new full face mask. Representing Respironics was a sales rep who chose the chat handle of "Comfort-Laurie". There were drawings for five free Respironics masks -- sort of like door prizes -- and I won one!

Just thought I'd gloat.

Congrats to the AOL Beta Testers

AOL has declared this version of AOL Journals beta to now be 'Gold Master' or GM as they prefer to refer to it. Regardless of its faults, AOL Journals is being released to the masses. My sincere congratulations to all of those intrepid testers who have helped identify the worst of the problems before they made it out the door.

Having been testing this diversion for about a month, I find the sheer intrepidation of the folks at AOL is awesome. I was thinking about this last night. AOL has what, some 28 million customers? Assume that about 3% or around 1 million of those customers opt to give AOL Journals a try. Now assume that only 10% of them find the fact that "Journal entries are limited to a total of 2,500 characters. This includes spaces and invisible HTML that's used to add hyperlinks or change the look of your text." is truly abominable and complain via email and telephone calls to customer support lines about the matter. That'll be 100,000 or so customer complaints. I think they better hire on some additional help, don't you?

This entry has 1 comments:

ya know olddog .. i'm wondering if this is a case of upper mgmt deciding when to release as GM .. feeling the urgent need to get *something* out to the public and then take their time in jazzing it up a bit

then perhaps maybe we need to band together as beta testers and bombard them with bugs and suggestions en masse .. rather than perhaps a few errant comments .. oh yea .. a beta testers union lol

Comment from his1desire - 8/22/03 4:41 PM

No money in Nude Resorts in Maine! (Part Dieux)

No money in Nude Resorts in Maine! (Part Dieux)

Maine may be the place where l make my home but no cobwebs obscure my vision. There's maybe 2 months of suitable nudeable weather up here, unless winning the Mr. Nude Goosebump & Shrunken Widget Contest is your type of thrill. Not to mention the State Bird, aforementioned, and her sidekick, midget kamikaze death bug -- The MKDB - AKA -- The Maine Black Fly. And the farmer's nemesis, the Horse Fly (about an inch long) and the Deer Fly ( about a half inch) -- both of which carry around 10 pound barbells for exercise -- in their jaws, bygawd!

Nope, I'm afraid that those folks all stirred up, down in Albion, Maine, best take a hard look at the "joys" of hosting a barbecue in their backyards... and then go back to suckling their 'holier than thou' nectar right quick before it turns to gaul and wormwood in their mouths. Anyone with a lick of common sense knows you can't make money running a nudist colony in Maine.

Besides, I want to do it up here - let the NIMBY's have their fun down there in Albion - I can do it here, 10 minutes from an International Airport. And I know my closest neighbors won't complain, neither, 'cause they're nudists themselves!

[MANDATORY EDITORIAL RANT: These artificial limits (2500 character spaces - bah humbug) on the length of entries have GOT TO GO!]

Nude Resort? NIMBY!

'Clothing optional' resort draws critics (Bangor Daily News Articles) read the headline in the paper yesterday. Being a dirty old pooch I couldn't help myself -- I read the dang thing. Bunch of uptight citizens objecting to nudity in their backyard. All this farmer wants to do is make a few bucks to help pay the taxes -- Lord knows dairy farming isn't doing it.

So imagine my suprise this morning when I flip on this flippermadigit {AKA computer, ed.} and find this headline staring out from the AOL Welcome Screen:

The Nude Economy - See the Latest in Nude Recreation! which leads you to TIME.com: Fly Luxe. Fly Cheap. Fly Naked! -- Jun. 09, 2003 .

Holy Mouldy, degenerate pooch! Theres MONEY to be made from NUDITY! My dream$ have come true! Lechery and u$ury combined!

Well I came back to earth from my deviant revelry swatting at, wouldn't you know it, one of Maine's State Birds -- the Mosquito. Reality hit like the proverbial "brick $hite house" (yeah, I know -- hunt as much as you like, you won't find it in YOUR Bible. Ask your priest, vicar, parson, rabbi, reverend or other religious critter to show you the Apocrypha. While you're at it..... make his day, little girl, and ask to see his etchings. Dirty old men need love, too, you know?).

Can one edit a URL In AOL Journals?

The Terrorism Research Center :: is a worthwhile site to add to you "Favorites" if you're like me and want to know the skinny (nothing about me is skinny) about the latest terrorist intelligence. Be aware that simply visiting the site make one subject to scrutiny by domestic (USA) security concerns.

So I saved the paragraph above with a beautifully formatted link to the site. And then I chose "Edit Entry" and brought it back into the edit window - the URL link is still intact.

To answer the question above - yes, under limited circumstances.

Shakespeare Had It Right -- Recall Lawyers

An item flashed across my desktop this afternoon, capturing the momentary attention of my bleary eyes: AOL News: Fox News Sues Humorist Franken

Olddog299: Subject: Shakespeare Had It Right -- Recall Lawyers
AOLJournals: OK, I will use the subject "Shakespeare Had It Right -- Recall Lawyers" for the next entry.
Olddog299: An item flashed across my desktop this afternoon, capturing the momentary attention of my bleary eyes: AOL News: Fox News Sues Humorist Franken

It seems that FOX NEWS™ has its nose out of joint over alleged humorist Al Franken's use of the phrase "fair and balanced" as part of a book title.

Animated GIFs in Text - An Experiment

Animated GIFs in Text - An Experiment

My friend Pam wrote me recently with a problem incorporating an animated Gif smiley, one of those smileys associated with Superbuddys on AOL, in her blog. I don't quite know where the problem lies. But Pam was the one who figured out that animated GIFS could be used if placed in ones FTP storage area and then referenced in an entry in AOL Journals, So I owe her.

Seems this is the smiley in question: http://cdn-cf.aol.com/se/smi/0201d26002/02 Hmm. How odd. It doesn't appear as a smiley in the edit screen.

But it appears as it should if I cut and paste from the image file. Very odd behavior.

No it didn't! It only looked right when I composed the message, not when it was loaded into the blog. ( it's at the beginning of the paragraph above and is not visible) Weirder and weirder.

"Glucokinase: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks."

A while back I happened to read an article about new research involving the liver and Gluconaise that I found less than clear. So I wrote the Doctor that authored the original article and you can see his reply in Diabetes Viewpoint-Current Edition from Veritas Medicine . I am honored to have been an inspiration or Muse for the good Doctor Rosen.

EBS

AOLJournals: I was unable to publish your entry. Please try again later.
Olddog299: It's now later and I am trying again, per your instructions.
AOLJournals: I was unable to publish your entry. Please try again later.

Olddog299: This is a test. For the next 60 seconds we will be conducting a test of the Emergency Blogging System. This is only a test.....

And Thus Sprake AOLJournals Bot.

This entry has 1 comments:

kinda makes you wonder what would have happened had it been a *real" emergency eh?

;)


Comment from his1desire - 8/16/03 9:36 AM

YGP Miraculously Repaired!

Whatever was wrong with YGP was "fixed" with installation of an updated version of AOL 9 beta. Damned computers.

I wish I was kayaking...

The humidity and the heat continue. For those in warmer climates, my rants must appear as silly as your rants about an inch or two of snow appear to me when I'm wading ass-deep in the stuff just to get to the mailbox. So there! Hrumph! Skies have threatened thunderstorms for 4 straight days, offering a hope for relief but none has been forthcoming here. I'd rather be paddling. Sans lightning.

BLOGGING GURU JOINS AOL STAFF

This interesting item came across my desktop this afternoon. Seems we have a new blogging guru about to join us, leading us by the hand (keyboard) into the wonderful world of slogging your blog, kernaling your journal, AOLing your felon. Check this out yourself. Whatever...

This entry has 1 comments:

olddog .. not sure if its me or my computer .. i clicked on the link above and got:

http://edit.journals.aol.com/_do/Whatever!

with a message that "AOL Journals isn't available" right now, please try again later

at my age, i'm not always convinced there will always be a "later' lol


Comment from his1desire - 8/16/03 9:41 AM

Link Repaired

YGP Problem

I have a problem. I can't seem to add pictures to this blog from AOL's You Got Pictures and I really want to! I can do it from my FTP site. Damn computers.....

I'm NOT Old!

I wandered into a site this evening I hadn't visited in years and was reminded why I bothered to bookmark it - it's fun to declare that I'm Not Old!
Of course, truth be told, I AM getting up there. My 3 y.o. grandson, Steven, is convinced that "Pops" is over the hill with at least one foot in the grave and the other resting in a puddle of something that dripped down his leg.

And So It Goes.....

Canada's Worst Air Disaster

FEATURE- Desperate times - Canada's Worst Air Disaster

By Roberta Brampton

ST. ANTHONY, Newfoundland, July 13 (Reuters) - Canada's worst air disaster occurred today when a small two-seater Cessna airplane crashed into a cemetery early this afternoon in central Newfoundland.

Newfie search and rescue workers have recovered 826 bodies so far and expect that number to climb as digging continues into the evening.

This entry has 1 comments:

"Ah hates a Newfie joke."--Annie Proulx, in The Shipping News
Comment from belfastcowboy75 - 8/6/04 5:41 PM

Maybe it's time to move to Montana

Seems those brewmeisters in Montana have come up with a great idea. Almost makes me want to start drinking again! Moose Drool!

The AlumaBottle allows beer drinkers to take Moose Drool Brown Ale with them wherever they go, without the fear of breakage.

"Glass bottles are a liability to people who fly fish, raft, hike, golf, or participate in many other outdoor recreational activities. This package is the first time a small brewery has worked to solve the problems that surround providing their products to active beer drinkers," stated Bjorn Nabozney, Vice President and co-founder of Big Sky Brewing Company.

All I Want Is My Two Front Teeth...

Anywho, I slept for almost 7 hours this morning. The reason for this blog's title has to do with my battle with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Somehow, the cool air stream coming off the A/C, the heated, humid air coming to me via the CPAP, my general exhaustion after a previous day of heat and humidity - they all combined into perfect sleeping conditions for yours truly. And so I had a near-normal nights sleep - one of a handful since the diagnosis of sleep apnea on the operating table was confirmed by polysomnography last July and August. Imagine, if you will, a year with an average of 4 hours of sleep. Actually, it's been years of 4 hour nights and my sanity has suffered for it. But I have been receiving "treatment" and this is one of the first indications of success. I feel like I imagine almost anyone would on a sultry dog day of August - NORMAL! And that is a truly marvelous feeling for those of us in a sleep-deprived state.

So imagine how I felt when I stumbled onto this little gem about "Maggie's Law" in New Jersey. Holy Criminoli, Fat Man! CBS 3: Maggie's Law To Crack Down On Drowsy Drivers What a way to pop my good feeling balloon. Up, up and away.....

Just for grins and giggles

Slide your mouse slowly over these bus stop folks after the image has finished loading http://isfunsoft.myrice.com/swf/peeping.swf

Via The G Spot

$95,000 of Fun & Games

A tip of the old fedora to his1desire for turning me onto the Patrick Coombs saga about depositing a junk mail check on her blog, Just One Girls Head Noise by his1desire. Check out Patrick's story for yourself, but be prepared to spend an hour or so reading...

http://www.goodthink.com/writing/view_stories.cfm?id=11&page_id=2

Dog Days of August

It's a sultry day here in the North Country. No breeze. Mosquitoes zero in on stationary humans then forget why they flew so hard and fast. Low, thin to medium overcast, muggy, high 20's (low 80's for the metrically challenged). Just the kind of day to drive Mainiacs to the beach where they will crisp and fry to a lobster shade of puce? Well! cerulean, at least.

Too much "Queer Eye" influence, I guess. Although, truth be told, while I find the 'Fab Five's' antics amusing, I've only watched two episodes and find the theme is too repetitive for my tastes. However, I read an entertainment news blurb that has the F5 and crew off to LaLa Land to shop for a big makeover of Jay Leno. Poor SOB!

Willow the Wonder-Dog (a tip of the fedora to Robert Parker in recognition of "Pearl the Wonder Dog" and her human slaves, Susan Silverman and Spencer) is stretched out full-length on her back, her feet and other portions of her anatomy spread to the breeze of a 36" floor fan. Movement doesn't seem to be in her repertoire, unless of course, someone puts kibble in her bowl. WTWD is a 110 pound, neutered Rottwiler-Bull Mastiff cross. She looks like a boxer on steroids and indeed, doesn't always know her own strength... she once pulled me off my feet (all 250+ pounds of prime beef) in her enthusiasm to meet a particularly handsome, long-haired male GSD. Rolled me into the flower beds, she did. But most of the time she's as gentle as a lamb and just as frisky!