What to do with three Apple Laser Printers?

I've got three broken Apple laser printers. Two are LaserWriters II and one is a LaserWriter Pro (600?). There was a time when these cost thousands. All have had heavy use and served me well. Is there a repair guy out there? Is a rehab even possible? Anyone want them for parts? The Apple stores don't deal with them.

Thanks for your advice and tips, Mark at Rauterkus dot com -- or in the comments.

First edition of Homespun Bloggers Radio

Well worth the listen. Running mates will play here too. And, we're now working on our own multimedia efforts, yet to come.

PPS boss, Dr. Thompson, do we re-up or not?

Dr. John Thompson gets ink in Trib on Nov. 28. More ink flows in early December as a "secret consensus" seems to be flowing from the School Board -- but yet un-announced.

I do love the headline, "It is never going to be a smooth ride. ... It's the name of the game of a large city school superintendent. It's never going to be a smooth ride," said Thompson.

As a coach, it is my job to take people out of their comfort zones. As a challenger in politics, perhaps, I've got to walk with the same type of passions. To learn is to grow, to change. To break the machine, we'll have to teach, to fuel efforts in new directions, to get out of our rut.

If you are content, like Mr. Rooney, perhaps, then I don't expect I'll get your vote. And, I expect to be escorted away from the gates of Heinz Field again some time soon. But back to the school's super, Dr. T.

There are deadlines and then there are sunsets and expirations. Our contract-speak, for both Walt Harris and Dr. Thompson is being reported upon poorly. "The deadline might have to be extended." Fine. No worry at my end.

The quote last week was, "Thompson will be offered a fair contract." Fair Warning, as in "fair share" and "fair tax base." This week the headline is not so certain, "set to decide."

Challenges remain, but why would one of them be listed as "a school board opposed to raising taxes." I'd say that is an asset. So, the legislature goes and robs the school district.

Also included in Dr. J. Thompson's priorities is cultivating a better relationship with the school board, ... and other area politicians.

"It really concerns me that I haven't built a better relationship with the board and some of the politicians in the area. That's a must in order for the school district to move forward," he said.

Bingo. This is a huge statement. Huge. Let me explain. When Dr. Thompson first came to Pittsburgh I wrote to him and said, "Garbage in = Garbage out." This is an old slogan from the world of computer programming. If you have a bunch of junk programming, your program is going to be junk. I explained to him that our political system is ill and sick. Hence, the only one's he'll get on the school board are going to be products of that environment.

The winners of the local elections for school board are not sick. But, the process they need to navigate is. The process in our local democracy is frail and can't craft a method that insures great outcomes, as should be the case.

Dr. T needs to work with the school board much more than with the teachers and far more than with the students. Dr. T needs to be concerned with the board, its make-up, and the landscape of our politics in Pittsburgh.

Until that statement was in the paper, Dr. T has been sleeping at the wheel. He has blown many great opportunities to do things in new ways with political implications. Now, perhaps, he thinks this is the time. There is no time like the present. But there is much to do. Might be too little too late to come to this observation. I'm very excited to get this progressing.

The unresponsive and insulated remarks are sure to stick when he didn't engage in the politics.

So, as a fix the board and leaders say the rancor is to be reserve for private sessions. Wrong. Let's be civil. Let's be open. If you got to rumble and step in some rancor -- do it in public. Don't revert to the stone age and do a non-debate Allegheny Conference style. Then we have to wonder if the board is getting better or just getting hi-jacked.

Hate to see PG reporting such as this: "even Thompson's attire has beomce ammunition for detractors, who say he is overdressed. He favors tailored suits, starched collars and flashy neckwear."

Brently: "This process has not been clearn or open or honest." Does Mt. Lebo have a board member who can break ranks and say that? But, on the flip side of the same conversation Brently accused one un-named board member os saying Thompson is "too dark" to continue as superintendent.

Romaniello said he would have exposed the person who said it. Exactly the right thing to do, rather than smear without a name being mentioned.

All in all, I think we have a long way to go. But, I think we are making some good progress. The schools in the city in much better shape than the city itself. But, the bailout will cause a good bit of pain for the schools.

If Dr. T stays, I hope he wakes up to the need to do more politically with the district. And, I'll give him a long list of things to consider. He can start with the Pittsburgh Park District white paper.

12TH ANNUAL POLITICS ONLINE CONFERENCE

Road trip?
http://www.PoliticsOnline.com

The 2005 Politics Online Conference at The George Washington University, March 10 - 11, 2005, will analyze this year's successes and, more importantly concentrate on what lies ahead: innovations on the horizon that will set the path for the industry and shape the future course of Internet politics.

The 2005 Politics Online Conference will be the largest Conference to date featuring over 70 speakers and expanded to a one and a half day format comprising 15 breakout sessions, 2 plenary sessions, 2 evening cocktail events, a keynote luncheon and the Politics Online Conference Great Debate. To register: www.ipdi.org/politicsonline

Secretary of Health and Human Services resigns

Another Bush administration resignation came. Former Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson. Thompson is show on stage while Grant entertains the Harlem Globetrotters.

Click the photo for a larger version.


We were in DC on the lawn pushing the awareness of the closed swim pools and rec centers here in Pittsburgh. The little guy in the middle, Grant, is my son. Today is Grant's birth day. He is now seven.

Thompson's brother is a Libertarian and former mayor. He too has run for the Governor's office as well.

Winning logo? Reactions welcome on "We the people" design

New version shows PA outline.



What do you think? Do you like the logo and design?

The site, Elect.Rauterkus.com is not expected on December 15, 2004. That day is devoted to more general efforts.

Homespun Bloggers Symposium III

Homespun Bloggers What, in your mind, represents the single greatest long-term threat to the United States of America, and what should be done about it?

I'm a swim coach. Because of my background, I know that the greatest threats are those that are found within, not without. An external threat is, generally, less of a factor than internal ones. In swimming, we often coach the athletes to get of ouf their own way. Get off the brakes. Reduce drag.

Canada? ... Naw. Mexico? Sure. Outter space? You bet.

Our biggest single problem internally might very well be our poor handling of the wider concept of democracy. I wonder what from the outside can topple that internal system, and I don't see much. I'm stuck on this internal nexus.

I better read what you others have written as I'm not moved to rant about oil, solar flares nor aliens.

CELEBRATE PITTSBURGH'S FILM & TV INDUSTRY

Heavy Or Not, that's the name of my TV show. http://hon.cloh.org. This would be fun. But, scoll down a bit and see what I'll be doing -- getting people off of their couch and into life.

at Dowe's on Ninth Street Entrepreneurial Thursday's Year-End Event --
An Evening of Live Jazz, Interviews & Networking Hosted by Jessica Lee & Adrienne Wehr

Thursday, December 16, 2004, 5:30 - 8:00 PM, $5 cover at the door

Dowe's on Ninth Street, 121 Ninth St. - Downtown

PANEL:
"Building and Growing Pittsburgh's Film/TV Industry"
City Councilman William Peduto
State Representative Tom Stevenson
Tom Savini & Marty Schiff - "Tom Savini's Chill Factor"
Don Marinelli - CMU's Entertainment Technology Center
Rick Sebak - WQED
Brian Bronaugh - Pittsburgh Advertising Federation

PROFILE INTERVIEWS WITH:
Janet Smith - Trifocal Media
Brady Lewis - Pittsburgh Filmmakers, "Daddy Cool"
Amy Lamb - Lumiere Films
Bill O'Driscoll - Film Kitchen
Jared Early - Oaks Theater
Aisha White - Rights and Responsibilities
Gary Kaboly - Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Jeff Garton & Hugues Dalton - "The Lift"
Laura Magone - "One Extraordinary Street"
Joe Giacobella - Bello Productions, "Doing Therapy"
Kevin Clark Forsythe - Another True Story Publishing

New Pittsburgh's New Trustees Board Survey

New Trustees Board Survey Are you aware of the New Trustees for a New Pittsburgh Program?

With depth like this, (3 question survey), the crisis is going to be grave. Hey guys, use eVote. If you really want to get things cooking -- and I do -- then we'll need bigger, better, more effective tools.

Putting Humpty back together again, after the great fall, is going to take a lot of helpers with far more interaction than what has transpired so far.

TAKE HEED! New CDC Virus Warning nationally and local rash warning follow-u

2 Political Junkies blog: New CDC Virus Warning. The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of sexually transmitted disease. This disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhea lecthim (pronounced 'gonna re-elect him').

Locally, we have another problem, a new rash that is sweeping Pittsburgh this winter and spring: gonna-not-elect-em-tri-fecta. Comes from hugging and a peck on the cheek from Bob O'Connor as he tries for his third run at the mayor's race.

Cure: Long, 3 to 5 minute embraces. Bear hug him like a clam and avoid the pain of hearing him speak on the issues. If he only hugged, we'd all be safe. So, don't let go.

PG coverage of O'Connor gears up for mayoral run.

Seriously, it was good to see Bob resign from the state position as there are ethical matters to deal with if he kept campaigning while on the job there. So he did do the right thing. But to have him say he is still considering the run is outlandish.

It was interesting to see Bob O'Connor outside of Heinz Field the night of the WPIAL football games. Bob was cheering for Central Catholic. Meanwhile, deals were being cut in the final hours in the legislature for Pittsburgh's bailout. Go team go.

I love Central Catholic too. Hope they win in Altoona and take states the next weekend. Central is to play a part in the position papers, Platform.For-Pgh.org. The school needs space for its own athletic complex. The city should help to make that happen. That's a priority that values the sandlots over stadiums.

Honest Wagner & being juiced on Roids puts clouds in the night sky

Honest WagnerA posting from a fellow burgh blogger covers some of the insights about the recent news of steroids in baseball.

Sports are games of time, space and relationship. Poor sports hurt one or all four of those factors. Great sports excel in them.

The relationships one has with yourself (health and wellness if not ambitions), your team, competitors, the game, its history are all to be judged, valued and managed.

We teach kids, and learn for ourselves, many lessons in these games. The big value comes in the transfers of those lessons to life beyond the game.

A star will shine less brightly if juiced on roids. And same too for the overall game. This is like clouds in the sky that are sure to darken the stars.

You gotta think again and get to the roots of what really matters. Then the decisions and judgements we make are based on principled understandings.

These are big society and culture questions. How we treat ourselves and our kids are going to matter. The hindge to prosperity and wellness is values. That talk exceeds money.

I think the talk is important. Keep it flowing. Share it, (all dimensions) with your kids too. We all have a lot to learn in these areas. And make Lyle Alzato part of the early lessons too.

Ta.
Mark Rauterkus
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com

Blog lookup story from AP

TechBits: Showtimes, blog lookup, music videos, holograms, electronic eye: "'Blog' is most-searched word in online dictionary
NEW YORK -- 'Blog' is now the most popular search word in the online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Its frequent lookup paralleled its growth on the political scene this year as keepers of Web logs aggressively chronicled campaign developments they thought were undercovered or ignored by traditional media.

Politics dominated Merriam-Webster's top-10 list, with 'incumbent,' 'electoral,' 'insurgent,' 'partisan,' 'sovereignty' and 'defenestration' among the top searches. Rounding out the list were 'hurricane,' 'cicada' and 'peloton,' the main body of riders in a bicycle race.

Last year was the first that the company kept a list of the top words looked up online. As with this year, the most popular words were frequently in the news.

Last year's winner was 'democracy.'

As for a blog, Merriam-Webster defines the noun as 'a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.'

The story above was by Ellen Simon, AP Technology Writer. My AP contact, Judy Lin, is no longer with Pittsburgh's AP office. I'm now pitching a story to M. Crissey about the 2nd Pittsburgh blog fest -- to happen Dec. 15. More news, I hope, very soon.

Dept. of Parks and Rec -- BIG LEAGUE members invited to an open discussion.

A form letter arrived to invite participants to an open discussion regarding the 2005 BIG League sports season. They are looking to create an advisory board and want input from the community. Citiparks Director asks that one person represent each athletic association at the meeting. Participation is voluntary. A volunteer committee will be set up to give athletic associations the opporutnity to have a positive impact on the future of youth sports in the City.

The meeting will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, December 16, 2004 at the South Side Market House.

www.leaguelineup.com/pghbig

412-488-8585 or
412-488-8580

From Joseph Defeo and Michelle Aul

The BIG League program has been axed. Gone. There was a day when a handful of full time employees and a number of part time staffers helped organize the sports leagues in the city. Kiss em good bye.

I was involved in the Aquatics Task Force in past years. Such a joke. We used to have 32 outdoor swim pools. Now we'll be looking at 12. But, there is $0 in the capital budget. So, if one pool needs a pump or a new fence -- I doubt it will happen. These places have been held together by band-aids for years. Neglect has been the rule. What do they say about making chicken soup without a chicken?

We need a new Pittsburgh Park District. We need some leadership coordination and training. We need some peer review. Time will tell.

Put one of these under your kid's Christmas tree, a domain name.

Resign Tom Murphy

A guy I know wrote to me (and I think a similar email went to Doug Shields as well):

Resign Tom Murphy

Step down. Your time ruining this City is over. I hope they stick to their votes. I would rather pay the $200 more per year so we can insure that our mayor leaves a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

Start-up dot com movie tonight with mixer and Ron Morris

Good event slated tonight at DU:
http://americanentrepreneur.net/sub_index22.asp

Changes at RCAC.net and their holiday party

See the comments for a message from the County GOP chair. Mike and Mike are moving on and women county executive director returns to take over. Their party is at Sports Rock too.

Chess invites for kids. Its often all about playing well with others. Great lessons must be taught.

Source: Jerry Meyers, Chessmaster, Western PA Youth Chess / Pittsburgh Chess Club

Your children are invited to participate in the Tri-State Junior Chess Championship, which will be held on Saturday, December 18 at Carnegie Mellon
University. This event is intended as the championship for PA, Ohio, and West Virginia. Usually attendance runs between 250 to 400 kids.

Many newcomers ask if their child is ready and why they should encourage their child to play chess.

If your child can play a full game without help and carry out simple checkmates, they can play in a tournament. I firmly believe chess is good for kids. It focuses them, helps with their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and even helps teach some lessons about being better winners and more gracious losers. If your child has never tried a tournament before, why not discuss it with them. Chess will give them a chance to exercise their brain, and our tournament will provide a positive atmosphere. Our message to your kids will be "Win or lose, if you do your best, You are a Winner!"

Children of different ages and ability levels are placed in different sections. For instance, there is a Grade K to 2 Beginner section, Grade 3 & 4 Beginner section, etc, as well as numerous sections divided by ratings. Different sections allow them to play others of similar ability and still have a chance to win some games or even a ribbon or trophy.

Full details, and a registration form.

You can also look up your child's current rating on the website and look at the "Honor Roll," which shows the top 15 rated kids in each grade.

Entries are accepted until the day before the tournament. However, if you mail your entry by next Saturday, December 4, you will save $5 by avoiding the late fee.

For those who are interested, there is also information on the website about our next set of Sunday chess classes at the Pittsburgh Chess Club. Those classes will begin on Jan 9. Beginners and Advanced Beginners meet from 2:30-3:30 and Intermediate players meet from 1-2pm. Cost is $35 for 6 weeks. There is also a class for Advanced students on Monday nights, starting January 10. Details.

Lastly, I would like to mention that there are 3 spots remaining for my Chess Camp from Dec 27 to 31 for players rated roughly 700 to 1000. Details on the website.

Thank you for your consideration. I hope your children are enjoying chess.

Closed for good

The Station Square nightclub, Chancey's, is closed for good now. The one attorney said that the sting and shut down was like shooting a wounded animal. The owners had a plan and it was due to close in early January.

Perhaps we should hold the 2nd blog fest there? (joking)

Cascade of closings:
1. The curfew center.
2. Chauncey's.
3. The roller rink in Forest Hills.

Some in the community might be itching for a good fight -- or a hockey game.

Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Stanford

Three great educational institutions gave football coaches the pink slips. Notre Dame's student athletes are to vote about NOT going to the Insight.com bowl game. That's interesting too.