Thousands May be Dead in New Orleans The mayor of New Orleans says that thousands may be dead.

Gasoline Gasoline is only available at certain gas stations, here in Brandon, MS. At the stations that actually have gasoline, the wait is more than one hour. ATM machines are not working. The retail stores that are actually open are only accepting cash, for the most part. Our power is still out and the phones are out. It's a real mess.

More Video Here is more video footage of the Hurricane Katrina Aftermath.

Video Footage of Hurricane Katrina Damage Here is a collection of links to video footage of the damage created by Hurricane Katrina.

WLBT.com Aerial Footag Go to WLBT.com and watch the aerial footage shot from their helicopter. Unbelievable.

Situation is Getting Nasty "Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard says there is no plumbing and the sanitary situation is getting nasty. He told WAFB-TV that he is carrying around a bag for his own human waste."

Home Phone Dead My home phone is now dead, but the cell phone is working - sometimes.

WWL TV Blog WWL TV now has a blog with breaking news.

Hwy 90 - Gone Local TV is reporting that U.S. Highway 90 (the highway that runs along the Mississippi coastline) is no more.

Live Streaming Video from New Orleans Click here for live streaming TV from New Orleans.

Cell Phone My cell phone is not working at my house. Evidently, the nearest tower is without power. Please call my home phone or my work phone to reach me.

Jim Update Jim and his wife are reportedly safe. They ended up in their attic, as their entire house was flooded, with water up to the edge of the roof. They were able to call friends and family and the authorities on their cell phone. They reported that the water was receding.

Safe in Jackson Courtney and I are safe. We lost power at 2 PM yesterday. I'm now back at work, where the power is working. We haven't seen any TV reports yet. I'm still grappling with magnitude of the damage. There are over 80 people dead on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In our area, 150 miles from the Gulf, there is extensive wind damage. Most people have lost power. Many trees are down and have fallen into roads. More later.

Metroblogging New Orleans Metroblogging New Orleans - It's being reported that there are people on rooftops waiting to be rescued in Chalmette.

Brendan Loy The Irish Trojan - More hurricane blogging. There is an excellent collection of hurricane/news links along the left-hand side of his blog.

Gulf Coast Video, 7 AM Hurricane Katrina blogging upate: Jim has posted his first video from the Gulf Coast. This footage is from 7 AM CDT.

Hurricane Blogging Jim is going to ride out the storm on the MS Gulf Coast. For as long as he has power, he's going to be hurricane blogging, providing whatever photos and video that he can.

Super Storm Headed for New Orleans A mandatory evacuation order has been issued for the city of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina, now a Super Storm of historic proportions, poses a serious threat to the city. Police are preparing boats to navigate city streets! The Superdome and nine other sites have been setup as 'Refuges of Last Resort'. Public transit is giving free rides to these shelters. It is expected that even these shelters will lose power. The situation does not look good for the more than 100,000 persons that have no way of leaving the city, due to finances or health. Storm Maps: 3-Day Cone of Strike, 5-Day Cone of Strike, Strike Probability, Wind Probability, Nola.com Hurricane Center.

Dwight Yoakam Concert The Dwight Yoakam concert in Biloxi last night was awesome. He's an excellent performer and each of his four band members are skilled musicians. He performed for two hours with no break, playing most of his greatest hits and about half of the songs on his new album. Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina is turning out to be quite the storm. Four are dead, five are missing and 1.2 million Floridians have no power to run their air conditioning during August. As of 11 AM today, she has strengthened into a Category 2 storm. The National Hurricane Center has the latest tracking and strike probability maps.

In Defense of Dell

A number of bloggers have written about what they refer to as "Dell Hell", detailing their negative experiences with the number one PC manufacturer. It is not my desire to suggest that "Dell Hell" does not exist or to point to these bloggers as being whiners. In fact, I've had some negative experiences with Dell, myself. However, I would like to call your attention to a few positive things about Dell.

Recent blog posts have involved experiences with Dell from a consumer standpoint. My perspective is different, as I work at a large University medical facility. Our facility has purchased thousands of PCs from Dell over the last few years. Each machine is purchased with a 3-year warranty. I'm a PC Tech and I deal with Dell directly and indirectly each week.

Here are a few positive things about Dell...

1) Dell provides prompt delivery of warranty replacement parts. Dell can ship parts to our facility in one day. One day. Sometimes times parts arrive the same day. How can they do this? They partner with delivery companies. The delivery company keeps a supply of commonly requested Dell PC parts (hard drives, CD-ROM drives, etc) on hand at their local sorting facility. This means that many parts ship from a local facility, not from Texas.

2) Dell is willing and able to provide support for their products. All PC manufacturers ship defective hardware to customers. All of them. It happens. Bad parts get out, they slip through the QC process. Damage can occur during shipping. No manufacturer has a zero defect record. So, if all PC manufacturers ship defective hardware, why choose Dell? Dell is willing able to stand behind their equipment. They will correct problems. This can often be done by shipping a replacement part. Sometimes they'll have to dispatch a contracted technician to visit you. Their techs are usually prompt, competent and courteous.

3) Dell has an excellent support website. You can use the Service Tag (Serial) number of your unit and look up countless details on their site. Your warranty information is available. The original system configuration data is available. Driver downloads and user manuals are available. Troubleshooting procedures are available. True, these items may never be needed if your PC performs without incident. However, if you run into trouble or if you want to upgrade your PC, these details can be priceless. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can call them on the phone at any time of the day or night.

4) Now for a few technical items that will probably not interest most consumers. The machines all ship with an OS disc. That's right, an actual Windows CD. Not a restore disc, which will only give you limited reinstall options. The peripherals are color-coded. The peripherals are high-quality. Many case designs allow for swapping components without the need for a screwdriver. Extra drive rails are provided within the case. Dell PCs have a BIOS options that are easy to navigate and use. BIOS upgrades are easy to apply.

A PC warranty is not a promise to come to your home and hold your hand or a promise to FedEx you a new laptop if you aren't completely satisfied. If your business is so critical that you need such a level of service you should probably get backup equipment. Even the very best customer service is challenged by unrealistically high customer expectation. Additionally, no warranty is a replacement for in-house technicians equipped with a supply of new parts. A warranty will not conjure a supreme PC tech genie out of a bottle to miraculously cure your computer problem. What can a warranty do for you? A warranty will, however, prevent you from paying $1,200 to replace motherboard that has gone bad on a laptop that is only 11 months old. A warranty will prevent you from paying $800 to replace a bad LCD laptop screen.

I will not argue that Dell is the best. However, I will argue that they are by no means the worst. Further, having worked with them for the past two years to obtain parts and service has allowed me to form what I consider to be an informed opinion about their customer service. Therefore, I argue that Dell's merchandise and customer service is not only adequate, but on many occasions, excellent.

Borders Coupon 25 Percent Off of One CD or DVD - It expires on August 28th.

Google Talk Google Talk - You'll need a Gmail account to log into the instant messaging network. If you need a Gmail account, just let me know. Google is taking over! Hopefully Trillian will soon add support for connecting to the Google IM network. Related: Jason Kottke speculates about what Google is doing. The NY Times wonders if Google will be considered the next 'villain', dethroning Microsoft.

I Can't Afford My Gasoline Flash Funny: I Can't Afford My Gasoline

Cheap Car Insurance In an attempt to find affordable car insurance, I called Geico. Yes, they can save me "fifteen percent or more in fifteen minutes". Additionally, Geico auto insurance comes with emergency roadside assistance at no additional charge. The savings would only be fifteen dollars per month, hardly enough to make me switch coverage on the spur of the moment. However, I recently needed to have my car towed, as I was stranded on the side of the road with a defective crankshaft sensor (which was under recall and replaced for free) and I was in need of a tow service. I called the number on my Sears Motor Club card and got a machine. A machine. Due to call volume, I would have to wait twenty minutes to speak to someone. Therefore, even if I don't switch to Geico, I will definitely be changing my emergency roadside assistance coverage. I've heard good things about AAA. Maybe I'll give them a call. I want cheap insurance, but good insurance. I'm open to suggestions. Send me an email.

Overclocking the AMD Athlon XP 2500+ As many of you know, my gaming PC uses an overclocked AMD Athlon XP 2500+ CPU. As such, I've authored a page with a few more details: Overclocking the AMD Athlon XP 2500+

Lego Serenity - This link is for fans of Firefly.

Bavaria Beer Bavaria Holland Beer - I was not impressed with this beer. In fact, Bavaria Holland Beer reminds me of the Green Nasty. If you're in the mood for a truly refreshing lager, go with Red Stripe, Corona or Killian's Red.

Making Money with AdSense The AdSense Formula for Making Money - An interesting article by Eric Giguere, detailing tips on how to earn more cash from Google AdSense.

Slyck Slyck - File sharing news and info.

Mom Fights the RIAA P2P Weblog: "Now a single mother from White Plains, NY cannot stomach the idea of paying a settlement cost for something she did not do - and neither did her kids. Apparently KaZaA was downloaded and actrivated by a friend of one of her kids. The RIAA viewpoint has always been that the ISP account holder is responsible for all activity on that household's computer. U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon will decide whether that holds up."

Yankees It's do or die time for the Yankees. So far, they're not looking like a team that can beat Boston. Bernie, we need you. Pick it up!

Lion Photo Great Photo: "An African lion cub hugs its mother at a zoo."

Red-Eye Red-Eye - Recommended. Great popcorn thriller. I was squirming in my seat throughout the movie. Rachel McAdams is getting better with every film.

Inside 9/11 National Geographic Channel: Inside 9/11. This two-part four-hour miniseries will air, beginning tonight and continuing tomorrow night at 9 Eastern/8 Central. Here is a NY Times review and here is a preview.

Pac-Man Play Pac-Man online for free. You can launch it full-screen or in a window.

Gas Prices Around the World Gas Prices Around the World - Relatively speaking, it's still cheap, here in the States. One gallon of gas is 12 cents (???) in Venezuela and more than six dollars (!!!) in The Netherlands.

Red Eye James Berardinelli: "As B-movies go, Red Eye (Official Site/IMDB) is acceptable, although it's probably better as video or TV fare than as a theatrical experience."

Everest Home Edition 2.20 Everest Home Edition 2.20 - This is a great piece of freeware for monitoring multiple stats on your PC. I use it to monitor my CPU temperature.

Microsoft Student 2006 Microsoft Student 2006 - Highlights include a full version of Encarta Premium Encyclopedia and online math homework help with sets of questions and answers taken directly from popular math textbooks, along with step-by-step help. You kids have it easy!

Microsoft Boot Disks Microsoft Boot Disks - A nice collection of boot disks. (Thanks to Alan.)

Borders Coupon 30 Percent Off of One Paperback - It expires August 21st.

RSS I've replaced my outdated photo with a link to my RSS feed. (If you're not familiar with RSS, go here for more info.) I'm currently using SharpReader as my aggregator. Admittedly, I enjoy actually visiting blogs, rather than reading feeds in my aggregator. However, the aggregator is great for news feeds.

Tips for Successful Weight Loss The Diet Channel: Successful Weight Loss. It's a list of their top 10 tips on what works and why.

New Windows 2000 Worm A new computer virus is affecting Windows 2000 machines worldwide. Please visit Microsoft Update and patch your machine immediately.

Ugliest Dog Everyone, meet Sam, the world's ugliest dog. (I can't even make this stuff up!)

Feedster Top 500 List Feedster's Top 500 Blogs List - You're certain to discover a new blog that interests you.

Windows XP Tips and Tricks Windows XP Tips and Tricks

RIAA Taking Fight to CD Burning BetaNews: "The record industry, fresh from its legal victories against peer-to-peer networks, has now turned its sights on another method of obtaining music: homemade CDs. Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America told the Associated Press before appearing at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers conference that "CD burning is a problem that is really undermining sales."" Here they go again, treating their best customers like criminals.

Security Reminder 1) Update your AntiVirus software, 2) Visit WindowsUpdate.com and install all critical updates, and 3) Remove all spyware from your system.

Google AdSense Here's an update on my Google Ads: They're a success! The revenue they generate will cover my web hosting fees and domain name renewal fees. If you'd like more details, send me an email.

Tyoogle Tyoogle - An easy way to Google for MP3's.

New Fiona Apple Album Fiona Apple's new album, Extraordinary Machine, will be released on October 4th by Epic Records. Pitchfork Media has more.

SuperMediaStore.com - A friend recommends this as a good source for cheap blank media. He buys Ridata brand.

Abita Select We stopped by the Abita Brew Pup today. I had a pint of their Alt. Tasty.

New Music Listening To: Natasha Bedingfield.

Fun Because it's Friday, and this link never gets old.

Mac OS X on PC Mac OS X 10.4.1 Tiger x86 on VMWare 5 and Native

Scot's Newsletter: August 2005 Scot Finnie: The Insider's Guide to Windows Vista Beta 1

Resistance is Futile: Central Scotland Police Removing StarOffice, Switching to Microsoft Office

Ligers Make a "Dynamite" Leap Into the Limelight


National Geographic: "It's half lion, half tiger, and completely real. Now thanks to a cameo in the 2004 cult movie Napoleon Dynamite, the liger has leaped into the limelight, prompting fans to ask, What are they really like? The faintly striped, shaggy-maned creatures are the offspring of male lions and female tigers, which gives them the ability to both roar like lions and chuff like tigers - a supposedly affectionate sound that falls somewhere between a purr and a raspberry."

Mac OS X for Intel Leaked, Cracked BetaNews: "A new variant of Mac OS X for Intel began surfacing on Internet sites early Thursday, boasting the ability to run on any x86 based computer. The leak has apparently been cracked to bypass the protections that prevent Apple's development kits from running on any unofficial system. Although many believed it was only a matter of time before such a leak occurred, Apple had taken stringent measures to ensure the Intel version of its operating system stayed locked down, including purportedly using hardware-based security with a TPM chip, otherwise known as Palladium. Videos of Mac OS X on an Intel laptop were posted by a French Mac enthusiast site Wednesday."

Red Driving School (Flash) How Good is Your Parking? - Cool!

SyncToy v1 Beta for Windows XP SyncToy v1 Beta for Windows XP - "SyncToy is a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows XP that provides an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of directories at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another." (via Peter)

Free Online Language Courses Free Online Language Courses

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company - "Founded in September of 2003, Lazy Magnolia is Mississippi's first Brewery offering locally brewed beer to Mississippians and visitors to our state at all of their favorite restaurants. Located in the Bootleg capital of Mississippi, we break with tradition by offering legal brew to our customers."

Two New Borders Coupons 25% Off One CD or Movie and 25% Off One Beverage, both expire on August 7th.

Useful Windows Software Useful Windows Software - Quite a list. I'm sure you'll find something of interest.

Demystifying Diet Coke Demystifying Diet Coke - Which is your favorite? Personally, I think Coke Zero is the best. Now I know why. Coke Zero is the diet version of REAL Coke. The regular Diet Coke is based on New Coke.

Tweaking BitTorrent Speeds Tweaking BitTorrent Speeds - The author claims, "Before these tweaks, I recieved around 100 kbps on this particular torrent. As you can see, after the tweaks i'm getting about 256 KBPS. If you look at the average speed for the swarm, I am nearly 5 times that."

Borders Coupon Borders Coupon - Fifteen percent off of one item, expires August 5th.

Apple Mighty Mouse The new Apple Mighty Mouse is PC-compatible. UPDATE: Here is an in-depth review of the Mighty Mouse. (via /.)

CurrentTV Unless some drastic changes happen, and happen fast, CurrentTV is DOA. (It's Channel 366 on DirecTV.) I've actually watched a few hours of it. The quality of programming ranges from 'watching paint dry' to 'almost interesting'. It's certainly not the type of stuff that should attract advertisers. I'm reading similar reactions around the blogosphere. This article describes CurrentTV as a "new hip television network". Yeah, right.