The Writings of Hall Tennis

Joe–
Went through everything, clicking all the way and waiting.  As usual, web
waiting seemed a burden.  I know, it is the nature of the beast; but, like
grizzley bears, it prevents people from visiting the scenery.
Over all the design and the logic seemed to work well, and made sense.  One
minor exception:  “…buy books on (ON?) our….”  From?  If I am buying, I
like to deal with the party I am buying from not the “place,” such as a WWW
site, where the deal appears visible–in reality that is my “:desktop.”

Considering the present cumbersome state of WWW, I think the major problem is
color separation, for me most noticeable in the Joe10 design, but also
apparent in the others.
The only other distraction (and I do not know how ti charecterize it) was the
“Tools We’ll Use” and “Book Reviews” button.  Putting two things into one
button threw me for a minute, looked like an error, then I recovered after
clicking anyway, despite feeling subtly alienated, and decided it was Okay.
BUT, those few moments of alienation/strangeness before I
clicked-waited-read, they signal a warning, a red flag of some kind.
Deviation from a pattern is  an accented event.
L–h.

The enclosed database is a handy way to take phone messages.  You may change
the fields to suit your needs, but please do NOT distribute modified
versions.  This program is “FREEWARE!,” meaning it is distributed with no
strings attached.  You may want to duplicate the first field, -D, then print
out the forms.  Now you have handy message forms that you can use to take
phone messages.  Happy message taking!

!Freeware is software that is freely distributed via the Internet, local
bulletin board systems (BBS), commercial on-line services, and between
friends.  There is no charge for individual, non- commercial use.

Disclaimer:  I reserves the right to refuse services to anyone.  I  do not
warrant or make any representations regarding  the use or results of the
packaged database.  By using this software, you are agreeing to be bound by
the terms and conditions of this license, in compliance with federal, state,
and local laws.  Because some states do not allow limitations or exclusions
of liability, the above limitations may not apply to you.  Under no
circumstances shall I be held liable for any defects the enclosed software
may contain, or any damage it might invoke.

WHILE YOU WERE OUT…(C)1996

And, there was this other thing that I may have not sent you, though I
intended to, some time ago:

This is to suggest attention to a book I have not read, but….

A foreign policy analyst makes a suggestion that is so intelligent, I have to
celebrate it.  The book review says that S.P.Huntington (THE CLASH OF
CIVILIZATIONS AND THE REMAKING OF WORLD ORDER) argues for a new look at the
world.
He says the seven or eight current civilizations (remember, Toynbee had
fourteen–or was it twenty?–) are
Western (Judeo-Christian)
Eastern Orthodox
Latin American
Islamic
Japanese
Chinese
Hindu, and
African (maybe)

1. He apparently argues that for Civilization “A” to seek to impose on
Civilization “B”  some of it’s fundamental values
(human rights on China, for instance) is probably a total waste of time and
resources.
2. I suspect he is correct.
These being “true,” then when a national government appears to  make this
imposition, it can only be to placate home opinion, and the other government
obviously knows it.  Neither they nor we is stupid.

To the extent that you are an active practitioner of inter-Civilizational
negotiations, it seems worth my effort to point out one simple fact: Some
values are fundamental, some are peripheral.  It is critical to know  (or, at
least, have a feeling for–which most of us do)  which is which.  2/12/97.
L. h

I cite two recent/current American films, titles perhaps recalled
incorrectly: Going After Amy (key word Amy), and Best Friend’s Wedding.  In
each the protagonist in a light love story becomes the anti-hero.
Europeans have been doing this in popular arts for some time. Americans have
done it mostly in country-western music.  I think I have not seen it in
American film since the thirties–maybe never, as I cannot think of a
thirties example.
Interesting to see the box office reports on these two films.

Fine arts project our essence–what Freud called our psyche; pop arts
project our surface.  Which one are we looking at in these two films?
L–h

Joe:

Yes.  It is a good idea.  Like many good ideas, it is mostly good as an idea,
not an action.

It can be done, IF:

1. one person makes the decisions and they are (rightfully) respected by
2. everyone else.
3. someone else can do the cost estimates, but that one person has to be able
   to bounce them back for revisions.
4. someone else can do the work program proposal, but that one person has to
   be able to say yes or no to its content.
5. someone else…etc, etc, but one person has to be etc, etc.

A team can do a lot to make an enterprise go, but it has to have a manager.
If a manager cannot say the final Yes or No, she is not a manager–only a
chairperson.

About half of marriages lead ultimately to divorce.  About half of the new
profit making businesses fail.  Most such failures are not because of
incompetence, but from poor information, poor judgement, venality, peripheral
ignorance, and the unintended outcomes of the best thought-out activities.

I believe that Team Methods can work.  Leadership can make it work.  The
rules have to be clear–even when unstated or simply implicit. No one should
get her entire income from a single Team’s  activity.  One leader who leads.

Example:

Team Leader Announcement:  “I have a tentative committment from a corporation
to buy a whatisit project at a price that looks like a cost-plus deal for the
team that produces it.  I am assembling a team to do the job.  We have to
meet face to face.   If you are interested, etc.”

Unfortunately, not everyone who thinks he is a leader, a potential team
leader (and can you imagine someone who thinks he/she is NOT a potential Team
Leader?) really is.  I find that difficult, yet I suspect that in any given
situation, at least 50 percent (half) of us are (is?) not the right person
for the task. Now that’s a real downer.

Democratic election is not the answer.  Command of resources is.  Control of
the contract is.  The Golden Rule:  he who has the gold rules.

L–h.

Maw asked, “Go around to Aunt Lulu’s for me and pick up a dozen eggs?”

“Sure,” I answered, “Where is it?”

(more…)

C is for Cookies by Kim Komando

Imagine that whenever you go to the supermarket, a computer keeps track of
everything you do. It knows the aisles you pushed your cart through, the
items you picked up and the items you returned to the shelf. You have no idea
that this covert collection of data took place until you see the results
thenext time you visit this particular market.

Instead of finding organized aisles, there is only one aisle that
containsonly the items you want. The market claims they offer their
shopperstimesaving convenience while simultaneously, uses the information it
collected about you to sell in-store advertising.

Sounds a little Orwellian, doesn’t it? Welcome to the Internet where
hundreds of big-name Web sites collect user traffic and prefer ence data,
often unbeknownst to users who might disagree if they were aware of it.

Do any amount of surfing on the Internet and I bet there are cookie files
on your PC’s hard disk. A cookie file saves information about you that allows
a Web site to recognize you when you visit that site again. Let me explain.

Say you go to the Microsoft Network home page (or another site) that
allows you to personalize the site using your preferences, such as your
favorite news categories. These preferences are stored in a cookie file
located on your PC. Next time you visit the site, the site secretly peeks in
the cookie file on your hard drive to see who you are and then, customizes
the site to match your preferences.

Use a subscription-based Internet site and your user ID and password are
probably stored in a cookie file. This prevents you from having to type both
in every time you visit the site.

At many sites, cookie files simply track user traffic and usage patterns.
WebTrends, for example, is one program that Web sites can use that saves
Mcookie files on visitors’ hard drives to generate site statistics. By doing
such, a site knows where the user came from, what they looked at, how long
they viewed a particular page, links clicked, and more. Web sites need
statistics to sell advertising.

Innovative marketing firms have changed the face of cookies. Rather than
storing site specific information in a cookie file, a unique number that
identifies the user is saved instead. When a user visits a site that knows to
look for this unique number, a profile of the user can be generated that is
based on the browsing habits of the individual.

Because the site needs to be aware of your unique number stored in the
cookie file, all your browsing cannot be tracked. But for those sites that do
know, online advertising can be modified on the fly to show the user
advertisements more geared to their interests. DoubleClick is one company
that supposedly has 10 million user profiles based on this use of cookies.

Cookies cannot divulge your e-mail address to a site, but they can contain
your user ID and password to a site. Cookies will not scan your hard drive
and report results back to a site. However, computer hackers have broken
holes through the security of older Web browsing programs. If you are not
using the current version of your Internet browsing program, you ought to.
Drop by the browser publisher’s home page for the latest release information.
While cookies offer convenience for users and research for Web sites, the
surreptitious gathering of information irks privacy advocates and for good
reason. It is possible for a Web site to read your entire cookie file
collection without your knowledge. Furthermore, users have to trust Web sites
that collect personal and usage information will not exploit the database
that can be easily generated. Unfortunately, there is no Internet central
authority that controls the potential abuse of user information.

To take a look at your cookies, Netscape stores cookie files in the
cookie.txt file located in the Netscape folder. Microsoft Internet Explorer
users will find their cookies with the Windows folder, Cookies folder. You
can open a cookie file using any text editor, although you probably won’t be
able to decipher the series of number and character codes.

If the use of cookies concerns you, get proactive. First, set up your Web
browser to warn you before you accept any cookies. Microsoft Internet
Explorer 3.0 or higher users can activate cookie warning messages by
selecting Options and then Advanced from the menu. Netscape Navigator 3.0 or
higher users can set up cookie alerts by selecting Options, Network
Preferences, and then the Protocol tab.

It’s important to note that you can only set cookie warnings and not
totally disable cookie files from landing on your PC. Activate the warnings
and guaranteed, you’ll quickly grow tired of clicking on the warning dialogue
box time and time again.

If you elect to not accept the cookie, you may not be able to use all the
features of a Web site. And if you do accept cookies, you really don’t know
what’s going on. While disabling cookies prevents sites from sending you
cookies, it doesn’t prevent them from uploaded cookies from your PC.

An alternative to warnings is to get Pretty Good Privacy’s ([415]
572-0430; http://www.pgp.com) $19.95 PGPcookie.cutter, a browser plug-in that
lets a user decide which cookies he or she wishes to allow or block from
sites on the Web. The Windows NT version is available and the company’s
Website says the Windows 95 and Mac versions are forthcoming.

Or you can handle cookies like I do. I simply delete the Netscape cookie
file or Internet Explorer cookie folder and start with a clean slate. The
downside is that if you hit a site that calls for preferences or passwords,
you will need to recreate them at the site.

Don’t worry about ruining your Internet software configuration when
deleting the cookie files. You’ll get the cookie file or folder back again,
without any action on your side. The browser recreates it for you when you
visit a site that sends cookies. By deleting the cookies on your PC, at the
very least, a site won’t be able to get information without your knowledge.
Copyright 1997, The Komando Corporation. All rights reserved. Kim Komando is
a TV host, syndicated talk radio host, Los Angeles Times syndicated
columnist, founder of the Komputer Klinic on America Online (keyword KOMANDO)
and the author of CyberBuck$ published by IDG Books. Visit Kim on the
Internet at http://www.komando.com

L–h.

JOSEPH TENNIS,ship’s captain, smuggled George Cooper out of Elizabeth City
County in July 1829 after the latter shot a man to death.
Cooper was later principal of Syms Eaton Academy (Hampton, Va.) which was
the first “public,” (whatever that may mean) secondary school in the U.S.A.
L–h.

I thought you guys might get a chuckle out of this.
Most of the funny stuff I get email is not worth sending.
L–h.

Top Ten Reasons To Like Beer More Than Jesus.

10. No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.

9. Beer doesn’t tell you how to have sex.

8. Beer has never caused a major war.

7. They don’t force Beer on minors who can’t think for themselves.

6. When you have a Beer, you don’t knock on people’s doors trying to
give it away.

5. Nobody’s ever been burned at the stake, hanged, or tortured over his
brand of Beer.

4. You don’t have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.

3. There are laws saying Beer labels can’t lie to you.

2. You can prove there is a Beer.

1. If you’ve devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.