Set Preview As Default for PDF on Mac OS X

I made the stupid mistake of trying of set Acrobat as my default viewer for Safari, now I want to change it back to Preview.app but it doesn't seem to stick, I've tried doing from the Info dialog --> change all but it doesn't seem to change Safari, any suggestions?
Update
If you reinstall Adobe Acrobat and go into the preferences you can turn it off. Which seemed to work for me.

God Must be Dead if You’re Alive

I hope "god" punishes you, Jerry Falwell for your spreading of ignorance. First you promoted segregation, then you praised the apartheid regime in South Africa, then you created the Moral Majority The only pleasure you've even given the world was when you sued Larry Flynt and lost! Ha, you piece of shit. Finally you said "really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way—all of them who have tried to secularize America—I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen." Well fuck you Jerry, and I hope you have a painful prolonged miserable death, and if hell exists, I'm sure I'll see your sorry ass there. I'm also glad your basketball team lost. I'd like to leave my readers with this image, if hell were a place of ironic punishment you'd spend your days giving it up to the Teletubbies, with out so much as a reach around. FOAD.

I Loathe VBScript and Hate Perl

I've been working with VBScript (in ASPs) for the last couple of days and words can't even begin to describe my annoyance with the "language" it is actually more of a jaw dropping experience that this language is all over place. For those who think, like I did that ASPs are merely JSPs for MS you are not even close.
As for Perl I saw the line "We use Extreme Programming and Perl; XP or other rigorous XP-like techniques are probably the only way to keep a 200K-line Perl program maintainable." Um only way to keep a 200k-line Perl program maintainable, is to not. DC Dan officially hates non-compiled code.

Holy Comb Over

Even though, McCain is one of least annoying republicans, he should really consult a stylist as evidenced here

I'm Glad I'm DC Dan and Not VA Dan

It's shit like this that despite, not having full voting rights, I'm glad I don't live in police state commonwealth of Virginia. I propose the new state slogan "Virginia, where the 4th Amendment need not apply"

More AFA Crap

The American Family Ass. has sent me their first news letter and I'm so excited it has not one but three stories to comment on. I'm going to start with Sex Education: Spinning the Truth the reason to start with this is because it focuses on one of my favorite (okay probably the most favorite) past times, having sex. Like last time, the AFA text is in italics, my comments are in bold

Sex Education: Spinning the Truth

By Jane Jimenez
March 22, 2005

(AgapePress) - Abstinence is an idea as old as the hills. We know abstinence works. It prevents unwanted pregnancies. We know you won't come down with any of the 25 common STDs if you abstain from sex. So what's wrong with abstinence?


Jane, slavery is also an idea as old as the hills just because something is old doesn't mean we should endorse it. It is true that, if you don't have sex you can be pretty sure you won't get pregnant, and depending on how you define abstinence you will mostly likely not come down with any of the "25 most common STDs" (Shit, I didn't even know that many existed, Jane if you read this post would you be so kind as to send me the list? Thanks!) One thing I'm going to guess though is that hepatitis and AIDS are counted among those and you know, if you eat at a restaurant where the cooks don't wash their hands well after using the bathroom you can get hepatitis. Also if you shoot heroin (I'm not endorsing shooting heroin, it is a very, very bad idea but you can abstain from sex and be a drug user) and share the needle with someone who is infected you can get AIDS, so unless abstinence includes not shooting up and dining, you still can get STDs. To answer your question about what's wrong with abstinence? Um, not having sex is a _major_ drawback.


Everything? That's right. Some people are working to convince parents that abstinence education is unpopular, unrealistic, and unsafe.

Unsafe? That's right. Some people claim that abstinence education is a two-minute lecture delivered by an uptight prude: Don't do it. Just don't do it. Say NO. And don't ever, ever do it.

What we need, critics of abstinence cry out, is truth. We need medically accurate information. We need to talk about sex. Our kids need to know how to stay safe. They need more information than just saying No. They need the truth.

Truth? Consider that the abstinence teacher often spends as many as five to ten hours in one classroom. What are they talking about? Well, actually, they have quite a lot to talk about, and it's just the kind of no-nonsense, medically accurate information that could save a teen from the biggest mistake of her life.


Okay, we can agree to disagree on the first one, before we were talking about abstinence as a good way to prevent STDs and pregnancy and it is pretty damn effective, except for that fact that "abstinence education" and "abstinence" are two very different things.
As for safety and medically sound information research conducted by The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), based at the University of California at San Francisco shows that abstinence education alone is NOT as effective as a program that starts by teaching abstinence and ALSO explains how to protect yourself if you do engage, in sexual activity, in fact students who have had ONLY abstinence education are far less likely to use a condom and thus more likely to spread disease and get pregnant.
Yes critics of "abstinence only" education do use the truth, they also inform you of the truth that teens will have sex and the truth about how to protect yourself if you do have sex. The truth and listen closely here, is that abstinence only education DOES NOT FUCKING WORK, that is the truth. I'd also like you further expand on the medically accurate information that is distributed with the "don't have sex" talk, please put up a sample lecture.


How about these facts:

Medically accurate information proves the ineffectiveness of condoms in preventing serious STDs leading to infertility, lifelong genital herpes, and cervical cancer. Cervical cancer kills more women each year than AIDS. With teens, condoms approach a 20 percent failure rate in preventing pregnancy.


This is at best a half-truth, while condoms are not 100% safe, if used properly, their effectiveness increases greatly. Do you know how to get people to properly use condoms? Educate them on how to use them properly when giving them sex education, have them practice putting them on bananas that way if they choose not to abstain, this will not be first time they are putting one on, because the emotions and excitement of having sex for the first time, plus the mobility limited by the back seat of a car will not also be coupled with the first time you put on a condom. This lesson is not taught in "abstinence only" education.


Meanwhile, critics of abstinence want to take over with their own brand of risky sex education. Their brand of truth ignores medical realities, suggesting that teens can flirt with sex and not get burned. What does risky sex look like? Try these ideas out:

Risky sex educators' version of sex education counsels teens to try "outercourse." This highly risky behavior, using their own definition, can include naked body-to-body intimacy just short of intercourse.

Risky sex educators put their version of "abstinence" into a virtual smorgasbord of sexual behaviors that teens can engage in ... when they are ready. In their curriculum, abstinence is little more than an "option" that teens may abandon ... when they are mature.


No, not really you see all of the comprehensive sex education programs start with abstinence and explain that it is the most effective methodology but... they also realize that people will have sex and want them to know what to do to be as safe as possible. Another thing that you don't mention is about the '"option" that teens may abandon' you don't even consider the fact the people get married and can use their comprehensive sex education to prevent pregnancy even post marriage, you aren't suggest that people should abstain their whole live are you? (I'm secretly hoping that you are so that you and your ignorance promoting friends don't reproduce but that is only wishful thinking)


Research proves parents are the most effective educators of sexual values for their children. In spite of this, risky sex educators use "confidentiality" as a means of promoting secrecy that distances teens from their parents.


True, parents are key to effective education, but from the sounds of it you aren't going to show your children how to use a condom and about how to lower risk. Now also when you are a parent of a teen, especially if they have judgmental parents like you appear to be, you are the last people they are going to go to. I hope that with my children, they know that I will advocate abstinence as the most effective method, but if they decide to go forward I also want them to know that they can come to me without, fear of stigma, and they will get the information they need to be safe rather than just hearing another lecture about how they shouldn't have sex.


Best of all, risky sex educators are engaged in an all-out attack on the money that supports abstinence education. They print articles and lobby legislators and governors. "Stop abstinence education," is their battle cry.


The battle cry isn't "Stop abstinence education" the battle cry is "Stop abstinence ONLY" education, as I've stated before the comprehensive sex ed. programs start with abstinence and share the rest of the facts, instead of keeping them in the dark and ignorant.


So what kind of money are we talking about? While risky sex educators are concerned that $120 million is being spent on abstinence programs, it is reported that in FY 2002, the federal government spent half a billion dollars on teen sex-ed that ignores the medical realities of condom failures. We are paying risky sex educators to teach our children such "safe sex" concepts as outercourse.


Abstinence only education ignores the realities the teens have sex and is NOT AT ALL EFFECTIVE to those teens that do have sex.


What do parents get for their money? The "statistical results" of 30 years of the condom, outercourse, and "mature sex" message are evident. Today, one in five children over the age of 12 tests positive for Herpes Type 2.


You can get herpes type 2 by sharing a cup with someone or kissing your grandma. As a matter fact in places where abstinence only education is taught there are more teen pregnancies and in places where there is a comprehensive program teens are less likely to be pregnant and spread diseases.


What has happened to choice? Abstinence is an important option and choice parents deserve. It reinforces parental values by giving students truly medically accurate information to help them understand the importance of remaining sexually abstinent until marriage.


Choice means explaining ALL of the choices, not just abstinence, teaching "abstinence only" is the antithesis of choice, look up "only" and then look up "choice" if you still need help let me know.


Abstinence education embraces the same no-nonsense, truth-telling approach we use in teaching young people about drugs, tobacco, and drunk driving.


"Just Say No" was a pretty shitty program, what does work is explaining the truth to teen about drugs, tobacco and drinking. If you follow your abstinence methodology, you teens will be told. "If you ever smoke pot you will become a junkie." They will then have a friend who has tried pot and is not a junkie and then your kid will not have reason to believe you on anything else, while drug education is out of the scope of this post, I think you get the gist, if not shoot me an email and I'll explain it to you in more detail.


It is a grassroots effort that has taken hold over the past ten years, fully supported by medical experts who have witnessed the explosion of the STD epidemic in their medical practices. During this same period of time, as abstinence education gains ground, the CDC in an extensive report just released says teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates dropped from 1990 to 1999.


1990 to 1999 is also when comprehensive sex ed. was in place, which is why I was taught in both home and in school how to practice safe sex.


Abstinence educators know what our kids need. They talk medically accurate information. They give our children the information and reasons for saying No to sex. They know what risk is about, and they are not willing to put one cent our into pretending that "outercourse" is a good idea. And that's the truth.


This last paragraph is so divorced from reality that I cannot believe you signed your name to it. Your belief that ignorance is the way to inform teens, flies so much in the face of reason, that if I didn't know better I would swear you are writer for The Onion I personally think parents who don't explain the realities of the world to their children are not only doing a disservice to their children, but to the world as whole. If the world were truly just, parents who keep their children ignorant would be just as guilty of abuse as those that beat them.

This is Not About Love

If you are Fiona Apple fan, you should really check out the new album that's circulating around the web, she expands a bit by involving a lot more melodies and instruments and it isn't focused as much on the piano, but still has the same angry and jaded lyrics that make me so happy. The rumor has it that Sony said that they didn't hear a single, though some think it may have to with her referring to the music industry as bullshit. I'd argue that "This is Not About Love" is a sure hit single, with "Oh Sailor" as a follow up single with "Extraordinary Machine" as the other single on the album.

The Floor Would Like to Welcome the Representative from the State of Irony

"A society is judged by the way that it treats its most vulnerable citizens," said Rep. Mike PenceR-Ind. (news, bio, voting record),

Remember this next time you vote to stop allowing people being fucked by large corporations to file class action lawsuits that will actually mean something to the company, remember that when you vote to fuck over seniors who now have to pay more for prescription drugs so that your friends from pharma can put a few more bucks in their pockets. Remember that when you oppose the idea of making sure that every child in this country has health care.

Sidewalk Droppings

Sidwalk Droppings
Originally uploaded by danWasTaken.

While persuing my aimless wandering endeavors, I noticed these along Massachusetts Ave. They were spaced about every ten feet, and had some green specs mixed in with white powder. They must have been placed intentially tho because they were too even spaced not to be. Anyone know what they are?

Making My Job Easier

Incase, Fox "bullshit" News wasn't fucked up enough to lie to the believing masses, the American Family Association will now push news to your inbox. I signed up because now I'll the ability to make fun of them everyday!

Great New Video and Song

Trick Daddy has a new video out for Sugar (Gimme Some) which combines some good shit, Trick Daddy, Cee-Lo Green and Lil' Kim and a sample that I'm pretty sure came from Cake.

Hmm RAM

I ordered a one gig RAM stick for my PowerBook from newegg.com and it showed up today! 1.25GB is mighty sweet, I thought I could run Virtual PC with 768MB of RAM, which is more than my work laptop and I could maybe carry my lighter PowerBook with me to work instead, though it looks like the processor speed will be too slow and VPC only allows you to allocate 512MB which means that I won't gain an advantage. If anyone is interested in buying my 256MB stick that will nicely work with your PowerBook (I think it will work with iBooks too can anyone confirm or deny?)?

Protect Your Johnson No Matter How Magic You Think it is

Donald's message is in italics, my comments are in bold

Networks Set To Begin Airing Condom Ads In Prime Time

Dear Daniel,


Well at least their mass marketing software got my first name right


CBS and ABC have said they are seriously considering airing condom ads during prime time and daytime television. NBC and Fox and other networks will follow their lead.


This is par for the course a couple of networks lead and some follow, are you concerned that the conservative Fox network may not get high dollar revenue as soon as the "liberal media" CBS and ABC do because Fox is coming late to the game?


I hope this concerns you as much as it does me. The condom companies say their purpose in airing their ads is to help stop the spread of disease. So, why do their ads promote products like "Warm Sensations" and "Twisted Pleasure"?


I'm a little concerned because they don't mention that condom usage is also effective at preventing pregnancy. The reason that they promote products like "Warm Sensations" and "Twisted Pleasure" It is based on a technique companies have learned to use called "Marketing" I'm somewhat knowledgeable about as it as I have a business degree (Go Badgers by the way) I thought marketing was a well known tool, but apparently its not as well known as I had thought. You see marketing is supposed to make a product seem attractive. I know that if I'm at a bar talking to a couple of ladies and Kim says "Hey do you want to go back to my place and prevent disease?" and Cookie says "Hey do you want to go back to my place and have some warm sensatons?" I know that Cookie will be the one earning my, ahem, attention.


Don't be fooled by their double-speak. If the networks decide to break their self-imposed policy of not airing condom ads, we'll soon have Church & Dwight's "Trojan Man" ads bombarding our children at every turn.


Again I'm not seeing your point, it has been established time and time again that children who are educated about birth control methods are MORE likely to take proper precautions when they do (and mostly likely will) have sex. Additionally if you want to keep YOUR children ignorant well I personally think that is pretty shitty parenting, but I guess based on your past stances on things like science (i.e evolution) you are pretty fond of ignorance, which I think is a far more damaging technique, than sharing facts and knowledge with your kids. I'd much rather buy my child a box of condoms, than have them engaging in unprotected sex and if they learn about safe sex via me, friends, sex education in school or a commercial during the NCAA tournament, I more than comfortable with it. Don't worry Trojan (my favorite brand) and LifeStyles won't advertise during Sponge Bob because the seven year old demographic is having enough sex to market to.


You can expect that these ads will be aired repeatedly, especially during sporting events.


Again, go Badgers! I will also need to look into this watching sports thing getting you laid. Marketing is usually very targeted and apparently sports watchers get laid a lot otherwise they would NOT be showered with all of these marketing dollars


The networks and condom companies don't really care about what they advertise when our children are watching television. They want to make money! That's why one company president said, "…we could quadruple this business." Does that sound like a company that has our children's best interest in mind?


Wow, I guess I learned more in business school than I had imagined, you see the goal, nay the responsibility, of the executives of companies is to increase shareholder value, in fact that is the only reason that the company exists (despite what they tell you in their marketing), and I'd be willing to bet a dollar that quadrupling business will increase shareholder value, in fact in this case it is coupled with a social good, preventing the spread of STDs and unwanted pregnancies, you aren't advocating abortion are you Donald?


Do you want the networks to start airing condom ads all hours of the day? Once condom companies get their foot in the door, it's only a matter of time before the ads will get more and more graphic.


You and I may agree here if television only existed to show condom ads it would probably loose some viewers they should only show the ads in sixty and thirty seconds spots during television shows and sporting events. Though your second point of "it's only a matter of time before the ads will get more and more graphic" I think you may be on to something if you put free porn on TV all day showing people using condoms and it was supplemented with ads by Trojan and LifeStyles, I may consider getting a television.


Please send an email message to the six major networks that use public-owned airwaves. Let them know you want them to reject any offers to air condom ads on network television.


I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, ads that promote social good and help companies make money I'm going to encourage it. If anything I'm going to write them about the twenty-four hour porn/condom ad network that you inspired, maybe the WB will be able to finally get some respect.

Sincerely,
DC Dan

I Got A Letter from the Government ...

"I got a letter from the government the other day I opened and read it said they were suckas" - Public Enemy

There have been some rumors lately that Firefox is falling apart, and that there won't be any more development on it because the Mozilla community is falling apart, I say fuck that I've downloaded all of the tools and source and I'm waiting for the build to finish so I can do my part, plus writing C++ again will, I'm sure will make me appreciate Java and maybe even C# :-)

I'm Glad that "The People" Influence the Senate

Daschle Moving to K Street
This article should scare the shit out of anyone who thinks that your representative is concerned about you and not special interest money.

This quote pretty much sums up how fucked up our law making system has become:

He's got a lot of friends in the Senate, and I've got a lot of friends in the Senate, and, combined, who knows -- we might have 51," Dole joked. "It's going to work fine. You need some flexibility and diversity. I don't think any successful firm is all Democrat or all Republican."

Funniest DC Blog I've Read in a While

Kentucky Fried Adventures is by far one of the funniest blogs you'll read.

Praise for Netflix

Netflix has been receiving my movies insanely fast lately, I put two movies in the mailbox at 3:30 on Thursday and I received the email notice that they had been received early that morning. Now if only they got TO my house that fast.

Operation Drill The Living Fuck Out of Alaska Begins

It would be a shame to keep of the any of land in the US pure and protected, I mean profits, which are clearly the most important thing currently in the US, may be harmed. I wonder if I suggest "A Modest Proposal as a solution to welfare reform if I could get a cabinet position.

It Not Where You're From It's Where You're At

I was looking for a song parody I wrote a while back because a coworker quoted the original to me, I sent him the link from archive.org and he was exposed to my original blog his response, was simply, "wow" While I was looking for it made me realize two things. The first is that archive.org fucking rocks and second my original blog, which was all on a system I built from hand in JSPs with a MySQL backend when I was laid off, was a lot better because I didn't worry about what people thought when I wrote out my thoughts. When I started DCDan.com I held back because I knew there were a fair amount of people who I knew and coworkers who read what I wrote and it since it basically a journal you often feel like you put a lot out there and sometimes, especially for me, I like to separate, the two worlds. Anyway, I read some of the stuff that was in my old blog I'm disappointed in myself that I was holding back. So that's not going to happen any more, the real Dan is back and this time he's not fucking around.

I'm back

I knew I couldn't stay away for too long :-) I spent part of the day thinking about how this would look good in my blog :-0