Comments for Kevin Sonney http://www.sonney.com Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:47:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on I hate it when I have to do this (SJK vs. PP) by Tanner Lovelace http://www.sonney.com/blog/2012/02/03/i-hate-it-when-i-have-to-do-this-sjk-vs-pp/comment-page-1/#comment-6942 Tanner Lovelace Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:47:09 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4131#comment-6942 Actually, they didn't take it back and then some. All they said was that current grants won't be removed, which they had said beforehand. They still have not promised to fund PP in the future. The rabid right wing VP they hired last year is still on their payroll. And, in addition to that, it has also come out that last year they pulled grants from several places that do embryonic stem cell research. Now these were not grants for embryonic stem cell research, but the places they went to (Johns Hopkins for one) had other people doing that kind of research. Personally, I think SGK needs to come clean and vow that politics will not affect anything about how they run their charity because it's clear that they're only doing damage control at this point. Actually, they didn’t take it back and then some. All they said was that current grants won’t be removed, which they had said beforehand. They still have not promised to fund PP in the future. The rabid right wing VP they hired last year is still on their payroll. And, in addition to that, it has also come out that last year they pulled grants from several places that do embryonic stem cell research. Now these were not grants for embryonic stem cell research, but the places they went to (Johns Hopkins for one) had other people doing that kind of research.

Personally, I think SGK needs to come clean and vow that politics will not affect anything about how they run their charity because it’s clear that they’re only doing damage control at this point.

]]> Comment on Work Travel Considerations by Steve Simmons http://www.sonney.com/blog/2012/01/28/work-travel-considerations/comment-page-1/#comment-6937 Steve Simmons Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:10:41 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4126#comment-6937 Gary Bratzel swears by the AMEX/Delta Airlines card. Apparently you get multiple per-flight bag checks for you and your travel companion, access to the hospitality suites, etc. There's likely an equivalent AMEX deal for whatever airline works best for you and your travel. Gary Bratzel swears by the AMEX/Delta Airlines card. Apparently you get multiple per-flight bag checks for you and your travel companion, access to the hospitality suites, etc. There’s likely an equivalent AMEX deal for whatever airline works best for you and your travel.

]]> Comment on Work Travel Considerations by Jeff http://www.sonney.com/blog/2012/01/28/work-travel-considerations/comment-page-1/#comment-6936 Jeff Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:58:26 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4126#comment-6936 Depends on the travel you plan on... if you have any plans for international travel, I'd suggest any of the cards from Capital One simply because they don't charge international transaction fees. I think there are a few others that also do not charge international fees as well, but not many. Most charge up to 3% per purchase. I have two small Capital One cards that I use for work travel that have decent rates, no international fees and usually give me a good exchange rate when abroad. Now, excepting that, use whatever you like for work travel. My personal suggestion, if you're going to be doing a fair bit if travel, is get one that gives you miles on your airline... My preference is US Air, or any of the Star Alliance airlines, but I generally stick with US Air because I almost always get a free 1st Class upgrade on domestic flights (I travel somewhere between 50 and 80K miles/year). So if you find you're going to be on the same airline (or the same airline group like Star Alliance or others) get a card that will give you miles on the airline... then you're getting something out of it. Some airline cards will also give you bonus miles for buying your tickets using their card, in addition to the standard frequent flyer miles for purchases and so forth. I'd stay away from Discover, simply because it's not as readily accepted as Visa, Mastercard or Amex... I also have friends who have Amex cards and swear by them, but I've been quite happy with a low-limit Visa and MC from Capital One... Depends on the travel you plan on… if you have any plans for international travel, I’d suggest any of the cards from Capital One simply because they don’t charge international transaction fees. I think there are a few others that also do not charge international fees as well, but not many. Most charge up to 3% per purchase. I have two small Capital One cards that I use for work travel that have decent rates, no international fees and usually give me a good exchange rate when abroad.

Now, excepting that, use whatever you like for work travel. My personal suggestion, if you’re going to be doing a fair bit if travel, is get one that gives you miles on your airline… My preference is US Air, or any of the Star Alliance airlines, but I generally stick with US Air because I almost always get a free 1st Class upgrade on domestic flights (I travel somewhere between 50 and 80K miles/year). So if you find you’re going to be on the same airline (or the same airline group like Star Alliance or others) get a card that will give you miles on the airline… then you’re getting something out of it.

Some airline cards will also give you bonus miles for buying your tickets using their card, in addition to the standard frequent flyer miles for purchases and so forth.

I’d stay away from Discover, simply because it’s not as readily accepted as Visa, Mastercard or Amex…

I also have friends who have Amex cards and swear by them, but I’ve been quite happy with a low-limit Visa and MC from Capital One…

]]> Comment on About by Chris http://www.sonney.com/about/comment-page-1/#comment-6934 Chris Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:08:55 +0000 #comment-6934 First, don't bother e-mailing me, only because I rarely check the gmail account these days (too much "approved" spam in the main inbox somehow and I don't feel like cleaning it). I just wanted to comment on your Scotty vs La Forge article.... You forget the middle ground. I regularly am both in a single day, either due to limitations put on me by the corporation (don't believe in any type of HA, to the point where we have 2 ESXi boxes and a "SAN", but only use the second box as a hot spare...). Basically, as a lone SA in a 400 seat company, you end up having to be both. Scotty for all the site specific "projects" and "one-offs" and La Forge for anything and everything else, hoping that you can use some of your La Forge skills (say documentation) for your scotty projects :) Then again, I feel like our La Forge employees (say the upper ranks of our architect team) don't really get it. They may have these awesome plans for repeating / scaling up / etc, but they don't seem to understand the CURRENT situations at the local sites at all. Just thought id share my experiences so far :) (got to your site from the OpenNMS post on remote-pollers) First, don’t bother e-mailing me, only because I rarely check the gmail account these days (too much “approved” spam in the main inbox somehow and I don’t feel like cleaning it).

I just wanted to comment on your Scotty vs La Forge article….

You forget the middle ground. I regularly am both in a single day, either due to limitations put on me by the corporation (don’t believe in any type of HA, to the point where we have 2 ESXi boxes and a “SAN”, but only use the second box as a hot spare…).

Basically, as a lone SA in a 400 seat company, you end up having to be both. Scotty for all the site specific “projects” and “one-offs” and La Forge for anything and everything else, hoping that you can use some of your La Forge skills (say documentation) for your scotty projects :)

Then again, I feel like our La Forge employees (say the upper ranks of our architect team) don’t really get it. They may have these awesome plans for repeating / scaling up / etc, but they don’t seem to understand the CURRENT situations at the local sites at all.

Just thought id share my experiences so far :)
(got to your site from the OpenNMS post on remote-pollers)

]]> Comment on Where I slept in 2011 by Crimson http://www.sonney.com/blog/2012/01/03/where-i-slept-in-2011/comment-page-1/#comment-6920 Crimson Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:47:31 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4118#comment-6920 Interesting idea, so I ran it up for myself: Blacksburg, VA (home) Ashburn, VA (Mom's place) Alexandria, VA (MAGFest) Charlotte, NC (Friends place next to CLT) Durham, NC (Dojo, sometimes used as crash space) Clemson, SC (Joint Techs, work travel) Orlando, FL (Thing) Novi, MI (FCN) Dallas, TX (Airheads, work travel) Columbus, OH (MARCon) Pittsburgh, PA (AC and Confluence) Cromwell, CT (FurFright) Morrisville, NC (Friend's place, stayed for TaiKai in Nov) Chicago, IL (MFF) Interesting idea, so I ran it up for myself:
Blacksburg, VA (home)
Ashburn, VA (Mom’s place)
Alexandria, VA (MAGFest)
Charlotte, NC (Friends place next to CLT)
Durham, NC (Dojo, sometimes used as crash space)
Clemson, SC (Joint Techs, work travel)
Orlando, FL (Thing)
Novi, MI (FCN)
Dallas, TX (Airheads, work travel)
Columbus, OH (MARCon)
Pittsburgh, PA (AC and Confluence)
Cromwell, CT (FurFright)
Morrisville, NC (Friend’s place, stayed for TaiKai in Nov)
Chicago, IL (MFF)

]]> Comment on RSS Woes by RageBunny http://www.sonney.com/blog/2011/11/04/rss-woes/comment-page-1/#comment-6903 RageBunny Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:29:40 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4107#comment-6903 We are thinking of setting up Tiny Tiny RSS for ourselves, as newsblur is just too . . . all kinds of stuff. https://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/322446-weekend-project-replacing-google-reader-with-tiny-tiny-rss We are thinking of setting up Tiny Tiny RSS for ourselves, as newsblur is just too . . . all kinds of stuff.

https://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/322446-weekend-project-replacing-google-reader-with-tiny-tiny-rss

]]> Comment on All we ever do is eat and play music by Heather http://www.sonney.com/blog/2011/09/24/all-we-ever-do-is-eat-and-play-music/comment-page-1/#comment-6895 Heather Sun, 02 Oct 2011 04:19:59 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4092#comment-6895 Here by way of KUEC podcast (longtime listener and fan of Ursula's delightful art, blogs, books, and comic). Thank you for sharing this recipe (as well as the other Eating Fresh recipes you post), Kevin. I made this for my family and best friend tonight and they absolutely loved it and could not stop eating it. And thanks for all the work you do putting the podcast together-- not only is it entertaining and informative (*odd* information, but disturbingly useful at times), but thanks to the podcast and Ursula's gardening blog posts I started gardening this year and I'm enjoying it a great deal, despite bug bites, backaches, forty-dollar single-strawberry crops (damn you, bunnies!), and occasional (alright, frequent) total bewilderment at the whims of Biology and Nature. Thanks again! Here by way of KUEC podcast (longtime listener and fan of Ursula’s delightful art, blogs, books, and comic). Thank you for sharing this recipe (as well as the other Eating Fresh recipes you post), Kevin. I made this for my family and best friend tonight and they absolutely loved it and could not stop eating it. And thanks for all the work you do putting the podcast together– not only is it entertaining and informative (*odd* information, but disturbingly useful at times), but thanks to the podcast and Ursula’s gardening blog posts I started gardening this year and I’m enjoying it a great deal, despite bug bites, backaches, forty-dollar single-strawberry crops (damn you, bunnies!), and occasional (alright, frequent) total bewilderment at the whims of Biology and Nature. Thanks again!

]]> Comment on The Tomato Sandwich by kytyn http://www.sonney.com/blog/2011/08/11/the-tomato-sandwich/comment-page-1/#comment-6891 kytyn Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:09:22 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4068#comment-6891 and now I want a tomato sandwich... *shakes fist in the general direction of North Carolina* and now I want a tomato sandwich… *shakes fist in the general direction of North Carolina*

]]> Comment on Why can’t I just buy 6 dryer sheets? by antipaucity – mid-term travel needs http://www.sonney.com/blog/2011/07/21/why-cant-i-just-buy-6-dryer-sheets/comment-page-1/#comment-6890 antipaucity – mid-term travel needs Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:32:57 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4062#comment-6890 [...] asked about where to find “mini” packages of laundry [...] [...] asked about where to find “mini” packages of laundry [...]

]]> Comment on Who has a new job? This Guy! by Tanner Lovelace http://www.sonney.com/blog/2011/07/06/who-has-a-new-job-this-guy/comment-page-1/#comment-6889 Tanner Lovelace Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:32:02 +0000 http://www.sonney.com/?p=4052#comment-6889 Congratulations! Congratulations!

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