Blog posts

  1. Hiring again...

    GURU, Inc. has an immediate opening for a full-time Senior Network Engineer, who will be involved in all aspects of information technology including: user support, PC hardware/software, server hardware/software, network security and infrastructure, backup and recovery systems, and corporate messaging systems. This consulting position will also be responsible for performing upgrades, maintenance of hardware and software systems, providing technical documentation and working with our client’s management regarding IT issues, strategy and solutions. He or she must be an excellent communicator and leader who can nurture strong customer relationships. Our ideal candidate will possess at least 5+ years experience as a Network Administrator or Network Engineer, and have a rounded scope of hands-on knowledge with corporate information systems, including products from Microsoft, Citrix, Cisco, Dell and HP. BA and MCSE certification are preferred, but not required.

    GURU, Inc. is a growing Information Technology consulting firm located in Gaithersburg, MD that services the Washington DC metropolitan area. We have built our reputation and success on providing excellent customer service to our quickly expanding client list. If you possess the talents and the desire to be a part of a dynamic team of professionals who hold the bar high on customer satisfaction, then we would like to talk to you. We offer competitive compensation and benefits, as well as an environment that will challenge you daily. Please note that our candidate must also be able to travel extensively within the Washington DC metropolitan area.

    We’ve hired two tech’s and an engineer since my last post. I think there is also mild interest in having an intern/lackey at the office for the summer – if you know anyone appropriate for the position, pass them my way.

  2. Sad face

    :laugh: Smoking ban in DC eh?

    It’s like watching a thread on abortion or atheism.

  3. Home Broadband upgrade

    Broadband included in every unit!

    I’ve been putting up w/ the shared USLEC T1 in my apartment for months now. I don’t mind the latency, the 1.5/1.5 line split 40 ways was unbearable most weekends and OK most other times, provided I didn’t want to steal from the **AA’s, haha, or uh, download anything else. The building LAN is VLAN’d in such a way that I get a pretty garaunteed 12K down most of the time. Lately the DNS has turned to shit, and I’ve been annoyed at the double-dialup speeds having had cable for the past five years in every other apartment.

    The Solution.

    8 static IP’s, 6M/768k, 150 hours a month nationwide dial-up service (for Amanda).

  4. Primer

    See it a few times. Really.

  5. Vox

    Vox AD15VT Valvetronix 15W Guitar Amp

    Kevin raved. I read reviews.

    Last weekend playing guitar w/ my Stage 112SE 180Watt 12" amp turned up to 4/10 on the clean channel through my multi-effects pedal turned to 6 out of 100. Something jiggles the cable connecting the pedal to the amp.

    _CCCCHH RRRRRR KKKKPP TTTTTTTSSHHHHHMM MMMMPPP TT* *__ KKKKKRR RRRRPT !!**ZZZZ ZHHRRRR RRRRRTTKK XXZZZZ!!!"

    Maybe it’s the stone-cone I’m jamming in but anxiety that the neighbors are trying to hide from World War III over in 5F is enough for me to stop playing.

    To the rescue:

    • 15W
    • 8" speaker
    • Real tube-power sound from Vox Valve Reactor circuit
    • Real 12AX7 triode tube and low-wattage tube power circuit
    • 11 amp models
    • 11 high-quality effects
    • User programs
    • Preset mode for quick model access
    • Knob-based interface for easy editing
    • Manual mode for real time adjustments
    • Headphone/line out jack

    Now I just have to wait the 2-5 business days for it to ship to the office.

    :dance:

  6. Ryan's citation

    Pretty cool news from my cousin Ryan:

    So today RADM Stevenson, the American Admiral running this show stopped by the ship to switch from a helicopter to a Sweedish assult boat to go ashore Bornholm (my favorite Danish port to be anchored 5 NM outside of AND NO CLOSER).

    The CO decided to swing a semi surprise on me and have the RDML pin a Navy Acheivement Medal on me (my third) - he passed a few out the morining after the (non)incident, but not being included, I thought that I was going to get missed.

    Anyhow, the citation reads as follows:

    PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AS NAVIGATOR IN USS TORTUGA (LSD 46) ON 1 JUNE 2005. LIEUTENANT STAVELY DISPLAYED EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, PERSEVERANCE, AND FORTITUDE AS HE SUPERVISED A PERILOUS RESTRICTED WATERS TRANSIT IN WHICH THE PILOT AND TUGS PROVED USELESS. LIEUTENANT STAVELY’S FIERCE DETERMINATIONS IN SUPERVISING ALL ASPECTS OF MANEUVERING TORTUGA IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SHOALS ENSURED TORTUGA WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON HER MISSION IN SUPPORT OF BALTOPS 2005. BY HIS NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PERSEVERANCE, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY, LIEUTENANT STAVELY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.

    Ryan and the Admiral
    Figure 1. Ryan and the Admiral.

    I’ve got to get to bed, as RDML Stevenson is coming back tomorrow and bringing the media onboard for “BALTOPS MEDIA DAY” - it should be a blast

  7. Challenge Club

    Nothing like a mid-week drive to Baltimore, I’ve always said.

    The Challenge Club mailing list is up and running. We also have a spot on the web all picked out at www.challenge-club.com and site designing is underway but about all you can see there now is a pleasant picture of Billy.

    But the more pressing news item is that we are playing at The Royal this Thursday night and it will be your last chance to see us for at least a month so dont let it pass you by!!! Doors open at 8 and we are playing second. The Royal is located on 1542 Light St in Federal Hill. If you want more info than that you should go to http://theroyalbaltimore.com/.

  8. Classics

    A birdie gave me a 24 half-hour lecture series on Classical Mythology by Elizabeth Vandiver.

    I highly recommend it.

    Prometheus (a Titan) gave mankind all sorts of fancy shit we need like numbers, the alphabet, ships, and best of all, fire, which he stole from Zeus. Zeus had him tied to a pillar where an eagle could come peck-out his liver every day. Man, alone at this point in the world, was punished for this mess by being given the curse of women - Pandora being the first.

    Makes sense to me!

  9. NIN Philly

    The Dresdon Doll’s opened for NIN. It wasn’t my thing - both are obviously talented but shrug.

    During their cover of Warpigs, someone born in the late 80’s in front of me asker her boyfriend if it was an Ozzy song.

    Sabbath covered by a piano and drum group? You don’t say!?

    I should have at this point went to the beer corridor but didn’t want to miss anything.

    Intermission. Lame hip-hop w/ the vocals karaoke-machined out leaving only lame drum and bass. The lights went out and Pinion starts playing. The entire floor rushed forward about five feet, packed like sardines.

    Trent and the rest of NIN came out and everyone moved another five feet forward, although I’d not have thought it possible and movement ceased to be an option.

    Trent, by the way, is built, at least from the waste up, like He-man. It’s wierd. The Les Paul he was playing looked like a toy guitar with those huge arms bashing on it - silly.

    Oh back to the music, what was he bashing out? Wish. The inability to move quickly became the inability to refuse to move as the entire floor went ape-shit reacting to pits forming, jumping, etc…

    As fun as that sounds, it’d not my bag. I ignored it for the first 3/4 of the set, enjoying a few tracks from The Fragile, Sin, Terrible Lie, March of the Pigs, Closer, Burn, (none in that order) and a few other tunes until Starfuckers came on – never really liked that song, escaped to the beer-garden isle for my only beer of the evening as the venue was all ages and only serving in a small roped off coridor at stage-left.

    I think I’ve got an atrophied angst, because as awesome as the show was, I wasn’t blown away - it would have been better enjoyed by me-eight-years-ago. I think I need to turn in my cool-card, just as soon as I find where I lost it.

  10. Wyoming

    I just got back from visiting Amanda’s Grandparent’s for her her Grandfather’s 80th birthday party in Buffalo, Wyoming. Check it out:

    Gilbert (Amanda’s grandfather) took us up to the pass of the Big Horn mountains, leaving a nice-but-dry sunny 70 degree morning at a tiring 6,000 feet above sea level for a chilly low 40’s elevation near 10,000 feet above sea level – from green grass to snow capped mountain. We spotted a few elk, a coyote, and plenty of deer.

    Having only experienced the west third-hand through a bunch of poseur coyboy-hat wearing confedate-flag-waving southerners (and Back To The Future III), I can now heartily recommend a visit west.

    Landing in Ohio, I felt revitalized by the humid air (and beer, after staying among teetotalers for two nights) and seeing the Capitol landing at National brought me home, where I had to move Amanda’s car from the left side of 15th to a prime spot on Euclid (with no power steering) because street-cleaning is tomorrow and we don’t want to get ticketed.

Pizza Slow (high quality)

© 2026 gravely