Morph3ous’s Weblog

Here is a quote and a link to the Miami Herald’s coverage of the brawl at the UM / FIU game on October 14, 2006. What transpired was completely unacceptable. People in my section were close to being trampled as a fan fight broke out.

I have posted video of the whole event. Video: Fight at UM / FIU Game Last Night

MiamiHerald.com: Brawl mars UM-FIU game

Crosstown rivalry?

How about backyard brawl?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t much about football Saturday once chaos erupted with nine minutes to go in the third quarter of the inaugural University of Miami-Florida International game.

The Hurricanes won 35-0.

Now, to the brawl.

Thirteen players were ejected after a massive fight that brought both teams onto the field swinging, kicking, punching and doing just about anything else to inflict pain on the opponent. The Orange Bowl crowd of 51,130 even got into it as at least two fights erupted in the stands.

I was at the game in the crowd and was surprised when the huge fight broke out on the field. It began as a small fight near one of the endzones. I turned away for a second and then the field was full of players from both teams duking it out. I then pulled out my Treo and began recording.
(more…)

Here is John Stewart’s reaction to FOX News’ “mistake” labeling Foley as a Democrat.

There are many versions of this video on Youtube. I linked to the one that has the full version of the story. Look at the graphic under the image of Mark Foley and you will see that he is labeled D-FL. Mark Foley is not a Democrat.

As far as I am aware at this moment neither FOX News or the O’Reilly factor appologized or even admitted to the error. It could be an honest mistake, but it really seems a little fishy when there is no acknowledgement.

John Stewart has also commented on this. I will try to find that clip and post it as well.

In this video the incorrect graphic shows up twice. Once around 58 seconds into it, and again at around 2:38. It is also the same photo both times.

BusinessWeek recently reported on the growing trend of using fog machines to deter criminals. Stores fill up with fog when the alarm is triggered making it much more difficult for the criminal to steal anything. I read this in the magazine and only found one reference to it online from which I have quoted below.
(more…)

This is old news. The only reason that I am posting it is because it has to do with the contractor who is handling the improperly programmed People First Employment Portal.

Offshore outsourcing cited in Florida data leak
Employees who worked for the state during the 18-month period between Jan. 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, may be affected, according to an e-mail message sent to all state employees on March 16. The state’s Department of Management Services (DMS), which oversees the People First system, estimates that 108,000 current and former state employees may be affected by the data breach, although that estimate could change as the department’s investigation into the matter continues.

The e-mail was sent after a subcontractor of outsourcing service provider Convergys Corp. improperly allowed subcontractors in India to index state personnel files, said DMS spokeswoman Tiffany Koenigkramer. The offshoring was done as part of Convergys’s nine-year, $350 million contract to manage the state’s personnel work.

This looks not to be Convergys Corp’s fault. The simple to remedy problem with the People First Portal; however, is their fault. I emailed them to no avail.

Tropical Storm Ernesto spared us. I think that this is partially due to the mountainous regions of Cuba. Regardless, things worked out for the best. This was a test of my hurricane preparedness. How would I rate my preparedness?

Food and Water: 10
Flood-proofing: 6
Deep Cycle Battery / Solar Supplemental Power System: 5
Generator Supplies: 8
(more…)

Today I have spent most of the day making preparations for Tropical Storm Ernesto, and the unlikely possibility that it becomes a hurricane.

To find out more about the storm visit the National Hurricane Center (NHC) part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

If you live in the state of Florida, it is best to be prepared for the storm even if it turns out to be a minor one. Your preparations should definitely be done by 5PM EST on this Tuesday, August 9th of 2006.

I followed the the advice of a user of digg, Sillywampa, on Digg’s entry about my earlier post on Florida’s People First Job Portal and emailled PeopleFirst@dms.myflorida.com about this issue. Here is what I wrote:
(more…)

Update: I wrote a post about an email I sent to the State of Florida and the response I received. This was suggested by Sillywampa on Digg. Thanks Sillywampa for the email address.

The State of Florida’s People First job portal is still running an outdated script that locks out users of alternative browsers from applying to state jobs. The only supported browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
(more…)