282
07/07/05




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Translation Available

Now it is possible to read my blog entries in 4 different languages: English, French, Spanish, and German. Just click the appropriate link directly below this entry. I realize the translation leave something to be desired, but they're pretty good. Each time I add or edit a blog entry, my program gets the three translations from Google's translation service. Normally when you use Google's translation service to translate a paragraph, it appears as text on a Google page. When you translate a URL, it appears in a frame. Using some cool PHP features, I am able to seemlessly interface with the translation service and avoid ads and extra data. Using CSS and <span> HTML tags, I am able to provide the translations without a page reload. Any suggestions on how to improve the translation service are welcome. Honestly, I don't expect anyone to use it. It was fun to program though.

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    281
    07/06/05




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    Very Thankful

    We all know that health insurance is a major problem and a big pain to deal with. Finding a doctor in your "network," dealing with referrals (if using an HMO), getting prescriptions filled, paying up for premiums and co-pays, appealing denied claims, and countless other hassles are all a part of the system. There was a particular set of claims on our account that my insurance was denying. These claims were from January 2004 through the present. The fact that they were denied when similar claims were accepted made no sense. The reasoning used in the denial of coverage letter was bizarre. Just when I thought we'd be stuck with a large bill, I made one last ditch effort by calling the place that administers our insurance plan. Well, it turns out that a mistake was made somewhere along the line and everything that was previously denied will be covered! I was thrilled, though when I really think about it there should never have been a question about the coverage. I'm just glad that this junk that had been dragging on from over a year and a half ago is finally being resolved.

    Comments
    • Hey Don, glad to hear that you your problems are solved. You know about my take on this unbelievable rotten health care system we have over here. Lesser resourceful people would've given up the fight and paid up. . I'm happy things worked out for you - now: how do we go by changing this nightmare of a "health care" system ? :-)
         Posted by nils on 07/06/05

    280
    07/05/05




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    Jiffy Lube is not the place for you

    I'd sooner have a class of second graders change my oil than the boneheads at Jiffy Lube. Jiffy Lube is not the place for you if you're interested in keeping your car around for a while.

    I went to JL for the first time last week. I was looking for a different place to get my oil changed since the place I was using, Zimmerman's Automotive, keeps jacking their prices up. They offer free coffee and cookies while you wait for your oil change to be done, so that's nice. Anyway, I quickly discovered that JL is no bargain either. I almost needed a pants change when they told me that my standard oil change would come to $32.85. For some reason it took five JL employees to complete the oil change.

    When it was all over, I drive home and was greeted by a telephone message from Jiffy Lube. The message said that they "forgot to check [my] air filter" and that I "need to come back." I know they do a courtesy inspection of various parts of my car. It wasn't a big deal to me that they missed checking the air filter. I thought it was very strange that they insisted that I come back to JL so they could do it. I went outside and popped the hood and was about to check the air filter myself... until I noticed that IT WASN'T THERE! They must have removed it to check it and forgot to put it back in. I was miffed that they forgot that and that they lied to me on the phone message too. I drove back there and got my poor air filter back. They also gave me a coupon for $10 off my next oil change, should I be dumb enough to go back there again.

    It has been a while since I did a nice rant, so thanks for reading :-)

    Comments
    • They told me that my dip stick was mislabeled by 1/2 a quart once. :-)
         Posted by Josiah Ritchie on 07/05/05

    • You should change your oil yourself. Much cheaper and you can make sure it is done right. If you drove without an air filter for a while you might want to check your oil again. A lot of dirt can get in there and make your oil dirtier faster. And another thing...don't ever let a mechanic rotate your tires. By the time he rotates them, you can buy new tires with that money.
         Posted by Big Ohn on 07/05/05

    • I think Sears rotates tires for free.
         Posted by LN on 07/06/05

    279
    06/30/05




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    Bible at Your Fingertips

    For no particular reason, I wrote a program that will allow you to get Bible verses quickly and easily via email. This will work with regular email accounts or you can use it from your cell phone. Try it out! All you have to do is email me a valid Bible reference, such as John 3:16. The body of your email will be ignored by the program. Email it to bible@donnyspi.com and within a few seconds you will have the corresponding Bible verse sitting in your inbox. Usually I don't post email addresses of mine, but since I will never personally read anything that comes to the above address, it doesn't matter. Thanks to JimEVon for putting together the MySQL dump of the King James version of the Bible.

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      278
      06/29/05




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      On Car-Washing

      I needed to get my white car washed yesterday. Lots of dust and pollen and half a cup of coffee jettisoned from the front passenger window by my wife while going 70 on a highway left my car looking more brown than white. Bored of conventional car washes where the machines get to have all the fun, I decided to try the kind of car wash where you feed the midget in the car wash machine quarters and he enables the power washer wand and the sudsing scrubbing brush. I thought it would be a great way to save money. Plus, power washers are cool. Unfortunately, I fell victim to the marketing powers of the car wash people. I ended up following all recommended car wash instructions -- all eleven steps. Pre-rinse, pre-wash, scrub, apply soap, apply some other cleaner, wash, rinse, post-rinse, clear coat, apply waxy stuff, and spot free rinse. I ended up shoving like ten bucks worth of quarters in to the machine to keep the time running. No way will I ever do all eleven steps again. Next time it'll just apply soap and rinse.

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