No, I don’t know when it will come out.
I don’t expect it before March 2007, given when the first and second seasons have come out on DVD.
When I find out, I will edit this post to reflect that. If you have verifiable information, post it in the comments.
Update 30 Dec 2006: Given a mid-June premiere for Season Four, don’t expect the DVDs out before mid-May or so.
So anyway, proposal is pretty much done, came through the internal evals well, and only a little more work left to go. [I'm lying to myself; I could spend all weekend going over it, as I've really only read my part of the proposal and haven't read anyone else's.] I need to go in for a while today, because I have some non-writing things to do on the proposal. [Read: schedule generation. This will be kinda cuh-razy.] I wish this proposal had been due yesterday rather than Monday, but you know, I also wish I was 6′4″, 215.
But as proof that I haven’t slept well lately, other than … uhhh, Thursday night, I came home last night, piddled around for a while, and crashed about 1830. I didn’t even consciously move again until 0115. It was almost 0200—when I’d been out here plinking away on the ol’ computer for about 20 minutes—before I could piece together that I had just succumbed to the nap waves emanating from my bedroom.
Did I mention that I have two RFQs and two ROMs sitting on my desk, demanding attention from other customers? Man, I’m glad that I love what I do, or I’d be miserable.
In today’s Fly on the wall:
Good vs. bad jargon
Jamis’ response to a draft version of Buzzwords say all the wrong things resulted in some changes. The original version attacked jargon which Jamis defended in some cases: “I do think there are people that try to hide behind jargon, but jargon is also a valuable tool for reducing the bandwidth of communication. When Marcel and I talk about Ruby and programming, for instance, we can use terms that non-programmers wouldn’t necessarily ‘get’, but it allows us to talk about things at a higher level. For example, talking about “meta programming†and “accessors†and stuff.. It’s Jargon but it lets us share ideas more rapidly. Even Einstein spoke in jargon. He had to, in order to communicate his theories with other scientists. You can’t describe the nuances of relativity in baby talk. The problem is the abuse of jargon, not jargon itself.â€In response, the post specified buzzwords and the bad kind of jargon (in this definition, #5 “language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning.â€) instead of the good kind (#1 “the language, esp. the vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade, profession, or group.â€).
As I type, it’s about 9C outside. [Roughly 48F, lazy Americans.] If you know me, you know that I like it cold and had my bedroom windows open last night and a fan pulling in the cool from outside. Glorious. I slept like a log [mainly because it was cold anywhere I wasn't, so tossing and turning was kept to a minimum], and for a good nine hours. That hasn’t happened in about six weeks.
‘Tis Friday. Only four working days until this wonderful RFP is due. 
Hoping not to work the weekend…
Spending my days in the basement of the Proposal Center at work. It’s very bunker-like. [Reminds me of the ideal office I'd have in a house with a basement, but I digress.] Hoping not to work the weekend at this point, especially as, well, Sunday is my birthday. Proposal due Monday, secondary RFQ due later next week, nervous breakdown presently penciled in for week of 9 Oct.
One thing I love about aerospace and small manufacturing concerns: they often change hands. Case in point:
So, after all that, I finally got to someone that quasi-recognized my hardware. Of the five vendors I’ve contacted on this job, only one has remained the same in the interregnum from when we last purchased this hardware [all of which pre-dates me, really, although I have had some limited interaction with these corporations on hardware since purchased].
But the fun of all of it is this: I’ve got an in at about six companies now, thanks to those conversations and being good at giving them information so I can help them. Sure, I had to sit through a couple sales pitches, but … what’s the loss? I might need those again someday.
This is the fun stuff…
Dear Marvin and Mike:
Cut Odell Thurman. That will say more than any press conference. Cut him, and do it this week.
Thanks,
Geof Morris
Bengals fan since 1987
A quick riposte while on a lunch break after nine hours at work mostly spent writing a proposal:
Buzzwords aren’t all bad, 37 Signals. The examples cited typically seem to indicate a desire to be anti-elitist and inclusionary. Well, not all communication is meant for outsiders! A great example is all the communication we do at work: we have a lot of shorthand for a lot of the work we do. The only time that we really have to break out of that shorthand is when we have to communicate with people outside of our group—and doing so then is quite, quite vital. A lot of buzzwords come from insider shorthand—it’s only bad when it escapes the insiders!
As an example: I’m quite sure that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had his fair amount of shorthand. If nothing else, he was a seminarian, and those folks are prone to the development of lots of conceptualizations that are best expressed in theological terms—on the inside.
But this “buzzwords are always bullshit” stance is, in and of itself, bullshit. If you closely watched the 37Signals Campfire room, I’m more than willing to bet that you’d find a lot of internal shorthand that could, at some point, be buzzworded. [Ruby on Rails, for instance. Rails is their framework, their name for their system. Rails is short, quick, and to the point. But now it's a buzzword. My point exactly.]
When making sweeping statements, be care to note context. This writer failed to adequately do so, which brings about this response.
Another week full of Square Peg-gy goodness, I tell you:
Last week was full of good stuff:
Man, did I ever let this slip. Well, here’s what I have listened to this week:
Last week was just one bootleg while I caught a breather:
So, Bill Cosby wants us all to donate $8 to the U.S. National Slavery Museum. Seems like a worthy cause to me. I mean, how many Jell-O Pudding Pops does $8 get you? Isn’t that money really better spent on establishing a museum to study one of the black marks on America’s history, rather than running your blood sugar up to near-diabetic levels?
And lest you think this is tongue-in-cheek, I just gave ‘em $24, figuring that at least two of you who read this will slack and not give any money … or buy some Jell-O Pudding instead. Selfish, greedy bastards.
[And if you're wondering, "Was there any way that Geof was going to write this one seriously?" the answer is, "No way in hell first thing Saturday morning."]
Hmm. Four words is about all I’m good for today.
[This where I note that Rick tagged beauty to Jessica, but she tagged sexy to a camera. Isn't it the male that's supposed to have the gadget-lust? Heeeee. And to answer your question, Jessica: yes, better equipment can make you a better photographer. It's worked for me. And no, you can't have my 10D.]
Let’s see who I hate enough to foist this upon: 
Oh, and words.
Back to writing a proposal through the fog…
If I were a landing signal officer, I’d give Brent Jett a three-wire on that one: a little left wing low at 15 feet, but he pulled it back level and stuck it right on the centerline. STS-115 is now complete, and now it’s time to focus on getting 116 up and down: gotta get all these truss segments up and running so we can start sticking all those big-ass labs up there. 
Okay, now I’m going back to bed.
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