I’m back, baby!

Or maybe ‘Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology…Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.’

All told it took about 48 hours to complete (no, not straight through), but we’re now running 64-bit Ubuntu 9.10 on a new AMD Athlon II 620 (quad 2.6GHz core).  That should make wordpress super fast! <sarcasm intended>.

I’m back, baby! </George Costanza>

Or maybe ‘Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology…Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.’

All told it took about 48 hours to complete (no, not straight through), but we’re now running 64-bit Ubuntu 9.10 on a new AMD Athlon II 620 (quad 2.6GHz core).  That should make wordpress super fast! <sarcasm intended>.

1888

I was curious just how old our Evanston, IL home is, so last week I visited the Evanston Historical Society.  Checking the Sanborn fire insurance maps, the house at 933 Sherman Avenue dates back to at least 1899 (seen here) and the house at 931 Sherman Ave dates to between 1909 and 1920.  City assessment records show residents going back to 1894, and an assessment done in 1961 shows a property age of 73 years, putting the home at around 1888. I definitely believe that because when running speaker wire through the walls I came across an old newspaper clipping advertising a cure-all tonic “as seen at the 1893 World’s Fair“.

I copied a number of documents, but haven’t had time to fully analyze the property history; however, I’ll update as I figure out more.  Sadly, Evanston achitectural blueprints only go back to 1895, so the city doesn’t have our original floor plan on file, and the historical society doesn’t have any photos of our block.  I’ve posted the relevant Sanborn Maps and other clippings in the gallery.

Virginia as the Election Bellweather

It’s been 44 years since Virginia elected a Democrat to the white house. Yet almost every poll has it squarely in the Democrat column. So either the polling methods are wrong, or there has been a vast voter shift in the last few years.

I predict Virginia will be the bellweather for this election. If Virginia turns blue, it’s a sure sign of a change in voter sentiment. In that case, any races which Kerry lost in 2004 (but were considered “close”) will almost certainly go Democrat. On the other hand, if Virginia stays red, it’s an equally sure sign the polling methodology overall is completely flawed. In that case, every previously red state is up for grabs for McCain.