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The importance of Stack Mode in the life of an IT professional can not be overstressed. Managers are ruled by it, therefore your job is affected by it.

So what is "Stack Mode"?

If you've done classical computing you've been exposed to Stacks. Likewise if you've worked with an RPN calculator you've had to work with stacks. Say you want to add a couple of numbers. Using one of these calculators, you type in the first number, and hit enter. This puts the number on the stack, called PUSH-ing in geek terms.

The two dangers of stacks are Underflow and Overflow. Underflow occurs when you do not enter enough information into the stack. Say you type in one number into your calculator and press ADD. ADD the first number to what? Error!

Overflow, on the other hand, occurs when too much data is entered into the stack. The stack in the example above can handle three items. If you tried to enter a fourth item you'll receive an error. Depending on how the stack was implemented, this can be really, really bad. Some stacks will stay in place, but if the stack was poorly implemented the entire stack could disappear or get filled with garbage.

How are Managers affected?

Managers are the most Stack Brained humans alive. People, when confronted by a term they do not understand in conversation, PUSH the term onto their stack to ask about later. Too many terms and their stack has a minor error and randomly throws away the new term and/or one or more of the stack contents.

Managers on the other hand have a poor stack implementation and a low number of items, which means technical conversations usually result in data corruption due to stack overflow.

In a particularly nasty overflow, the corruption will extend to the Run-Queue and the Manager's Brain will execute the instruction BTE (Branch To Elsewhere). There is a known bug in the BTE instruction in the Manager Chipset that causes BTE to loose the address parameter, causing the Manager to stand there and not leave. When this happens, the Manager will most likely have to be rebooted by kicking the "SEAT UP/DOWN" lever of his chair.

At 12:38pm today the last production pack was deleted and PCCA's IBM S/390 mainframe was officially declared dead. Power is still running through its circuits...that’ll be addressed tomorrow...but basically it's dead. The project we started in July, 2000, to switch from an MVS environment to a Windows environment, is finally over. Forty programmers and interns wrote over 8,000 new programs comprising nearly 1 million lines of code. Nearly 20 others in our Systems, Network, and Operations departments labored to build the infrastructure we run today. Our job control system, which we "invented" back in 2001, has run nearly 9.4 million Perl jobs.

The mood in the office has been bi-polar to say the least. Moments of excitement and relief followed by a dead calm we realize we're finally done. We'll allow ourselves to wallow in "what's next?" for a few minutes before we realize we each have a stack of small projects waiting for us...next week. Sometime tomorrow we'll gather in the server room and, in a reverse of the process that took place in 1987 when the S/390 was rolled in, we'll hit the big red button and power the beast down.

God, has it only been 49 months?

8/27/2004 We powered off the S/390, Shark, DASD, and a handful of controllers at 4pm this afternoon. Power consumption in the server room dropped 10% but, surprisingly, the noise level didn't. I guess the ACs and the Dell systems were making more noise than we thought. When we powered down the printers and tape drives yesterday we heard a significant decrease in sound levels. That shut down was accompanied by another 10% drop in power, for a total of 20%.

I've just learned that Cousin Rodger has been asked to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. What a honor. The event will be on May 20, 2005.

I'm beyond frustrated with the quality of vehicle registration and licensing information available online in Texas. Lauren and I bought a 2002 Honda Accord on Monday. This is the first car I've owned that did not come with a front license plate frame, so I'm unfamiliar with the front plate laws in Texas. I spent 45 minutes (!) searching the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Texas Online websites and found nothing regarding front plates. A Google search revealed a number of legal and car enthusiast websites that say Texas requires a front plate. I even found an online petition to repeal the Texas front plate law, but again, I've found nothing official, just hearsay. Very frustrating.

I had wait for my county tax assessor’s office to open so I could call and get an answer to this very simple, should-be-easy-to-find-on-the-internet question. Yes, Texas requires front license plates. Another quick call to the dealer, and the frame will be installed next week.

It's mid-2004. This should have been answered, definitively, with a 30 second Google search.

Lauren and I were on the way home a few minutes ago when we saw a number of emergency vehicles on the Loop 289 access road. Officers were taking cover behind their cars with their guns drawn and an ambulance was positioned just down the road. Just off the access road, in a driveway, a middle-aged man was on his knees at the end of a driveway with a gun under his chin. I’ll post more as it comes in.

10:08 p.m. The man is good condition at a local hospital after having been incapacitated by 4-5 non-lethal bean-bag rounds. Officers were forced to fire when he pointed his gun at them. The incident apparently got started when he threatened himself with the gun before going inside his home on Freemont Ave and firing a single shot. A neighbor described him as a “heck of a nice guy” and suggested that he was having “marital problems”. He ngedited the police with doing an outstanding job.

8/24/2004 The Lubbock A-J is reporting (see Police fire bean bags to subdue gunman) that a woman called 9-1-1 at 8pm to report that her fiance was trying to kill himself. Shouting was heard in the bckground, then the caller hung up. She called back a few minutes later to say a shot had been fired. Jump forward some 40 minutes to just after Lauren and I drove by. The man pointed the gun at police who replied with four bean bag rounds. He dropped the pistol but was able to retrieve it. Two more bean bags rounds. Again, he dropped the pistol and was able to retrieve it before dropping it again and being placed under arrest.

8/25/2004 The man, identified as Domingo Arguellez Jr. by KCBD 11, has been booked into the Lubbock County Jail charges of aggravated assault of a police officer, and misdemeanor charges of deadly conduct, discharging a firearm in a municipality and possession of marijuana.

The bad news just keeps rolling in. Heavy downpours in the area of Boscastle, Cornwall have turned the tiny fishing village into a disaster area. Flash floods quickly turned the roads into rivers as everything that could be picked up, including cars, was swept towards the ocean. RAF helicopters worked feverishly to pluck victims from cars and rooftops as up to ten feet of water flowed through homes. Two buildings have collapsed and at least 30 cars were swept into the ocean.

Cousin Howard Curnow summed up the situation best: "Many people are reported missing, but confusion reigns as power and phone lines are down, mobiles are rendered useless in the water and countless holiday-makers who have had all their belongings swept out to sea are camping in loaned blankets on the floor of the Village Hall. Tomorrow it's not going to be a pretty sight in Boscastle!"

By 2pm EDT Hurricane Charley was classified as a Category 4 with winds of 140 mph near the storm's center. It's heading straight for the mouth of Charlotte Harbor (FL), where my parents, sister, and nephew live. Their cell phones have been charged, their computers are unplugged and up off the floor. Water's been saved. Here's hoping for the best!

8/13/2004 16:49 EDT: The eye of the storm has apparently taken quite a toll on Punta Gorda. I'm watching a live feed from a local station right now and it looks like PG just got hammered. I tried calling my parents: cells are down and it looks like the power is out.

8/13/2004 18:11 EDT: Quick phone message from my sister. Every one's fine and they're riding out the storm. I checked the feed and the storm center was well inland and heading for Orlando

8/13/2004 18:45 EDT: Got through to my mother. They're doing well. The house is in good shape. A little water came through a window, and a Port-A-John landed on the roof (part is in the front yard, part came through the lanai). The eye just missed their house, by blocks judging from the radar images I've seen. This means they had full-strength winds without the short break the eye would provide.

8/14/2004 9:45 EDT: My parents and Connor are on their way to South Carolina to say with his Brother until electricity and water is restored. They're headed far enough in-land that they should not be affected by Charlie as it makes its way up the coast. My sister reports that she's lost the roof of her rental house, although I don't know exactly what "lost" means. She's staying behind for work (she works for a doctor.

8/14/2004 10:30 EDT: Mom called. They've stopped to feed Connor and grab something to drink. Uncle George's place is just north of the Georga border and Charley is well North of there, so everything should be fine. She said Mary Beth's place is fine. The inside is dry, and the sub-roof is intact. There's roof damage, but the "integrity" of the house remains. That's great news considering the absolute pounding Punta Gorda took.

8/14/2004 18:25 EDT: NBC2 News - Punta Gorda devastation video

8/14/2004 20:33 EDT: Just spoke with my mother. They're spending the night in a hotel in Brunswick, George and will head over to George and Marlyn's in the morning.

8/15/2004 12:41 EDT: I was expecting it, but this headline from our local paper still threw me: Hurricane Charley leaves once scenic Punta Gorda in ruins

When I spoke with Mom last night I mentioned they'd been reporting that there was no looting. That was apparently not true. Mom mentioned that the neighbourhoods were being looted. The reporters were apparently concentrating on business districts. NBC2 is reporting this morning that the National Guard is manning every entrance to Charlotte County and only allowing residents in. Family members of residents are not allowed in at all. They can go to the checkpoints, call their family members and the Charlotte residents can meet at the checkpoint to see them or get essentials. I assume this is due, in part, to the looting problem.

8/15/2004 15:15 EDT: I've been watching NBC2's live internet feed and have found their coverage a little odd. They're doing a wonderful job relaying damage and safety information, but their commercial breaks contain nothing but car ads.

8/16/2004 01:04 EDT: While tens of thousands are digging out and trying pick up the pieces of their lives, a handful have already started trying to cash in. While scam artists went door to door, and looters were helping themselves so someone else's memories, a new breed of scum turned to eBay to make a quick buck.

Shortly after midnight on the 13th, East Coast Designs Unlimited listed the first "I Survived Charley" item for sale. Since then, sellers have listed t-shirts, buttons, magnets, stickers, debris, videos of debris, and jars and bags of "Hurricane Charley Wind". Larry Schwartz of Port Charlotte is even offering to appraise your damage for $750. The residents of Southwest Florida need our help and support. They do not need to be helped of their money by the residents of New Jersey, Colorado, and California.

Family

I haven't spoke with my parents in over 24 hours so I assume they're sound asleep at my Aunt and Uncles. Here's praying that 12 hours of solid sleep help put them further away from the events of Friday afternoon. I last spoke with Mary Beth Saturday morning. She's alone in that hell hole, something I'm sure doesn't sit well with Mom and dad. I know it doesn't with me.

8/16/200 22:15 EDT: I've exchanged emails with Dad tonight. They're anxious to get back home as soon as possible. Should power be restored to Port Charlotte sooner than Punta Gorda, and that's likely, they've made plans to stay at a snowbird's place there. I believe Mary Beth is staying with friends in North Port.

I haven't had a chance to check in with the McBrides in Leesburg. I'll try to do so tomorrow.

Someone in Lauren's office reported that it costs $2,000 to fly one-way from Lubbock to Tampa right now. I have no idea what he's smoking as I found 12-hour advanced tickets on Continental for $318. It's nice to see the airlines aren't taking advantage of the current situation.

8/17/2004 10:00 EDT: In a major step forward in the effort to restore services, the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center has renamed itself "Charley Command". My family appreciates the gesture.

8/18/2004 9:15 EDT: I spoke with Mary Beth this morning. She’s fine, although understandably anxious to have Connor back. She’s been out of the loop for the last few days and didn’t know of Mom and Dad’s tentative plans to return at the end of the week. Their old neighborhood never lost power and water so they’ll be borrowing the home of some snowbird friends of theirs.

The damage to Mary Beth’s rental house’s roof is centered over the bedroom and she still is having trouble finding someone to put a tarp over the roof. She reports that the rest of the house is in good condition.

I received an email from Amy McBride last night and Mary Beth has spoke with Grandma Curnow. Leesburg is just fine, which is good to hear.

8/18/2004 15:45 EDT: The Lubbock Avalanche Journal is reporting that Texas Tech had a team from their Wind Science Engineering and Research Center on the ground during Hurricane Charley. They had the bulk of their equipment set up in Tampa, but believe they'll still have enough data to help them continue their research into building stronger homes. Tech began wind research in 1970 after Lubbock was hit by a F5 tornado that killed 26 people.

8/19/2004 11:00 EDT: NBC-2 is slowly returning their website to a commercian news site. As such, they've moved their disaster information to a new page. Perhaps the most interesting store in the last 24 hours is of a black bear that wandered into a Punta Gorda neighborhood yesterday.

As of 5:30 EDT, Florida Power and Light reported 53,500 customers are still without power in Charlotte County. That represents a 41% restoration of service in that county. Charlotte accounts for 68% of the customers without power.

Charlotte County Utilities is asking that all Charlotte County residents conserve water usage. The water systems are not fully operational at this time and large customer demand at this time is straining the water and wastewater systems.

8/20/2004 14:29 EDT: As of 5:30 EDT, Florida Power and Light reported 49,500 customers are still without power in Charlotte County. That represents a 45% restoration of service in that county. Charlotte accounts for 78% of the customers without power. LP&L is projecting restoring the last customer by 8/29.

Other Charlotte County statistics:

• Storm-related deaths: 4
• Schools damaged: 19
• National Guard stationed in Charlotte County: 500
• Arrests related to the storm: 33
• Meals distributed each day: apx 70,000
• Water and ice distributed to date distributed by Division of Forestry: 87 semi-trailers
• Homeless: unknown
• Jobless: unknown
• Charlotte County government public losses: $500 million
• Charlotte County annualized budget: $579.5 million

8/20/2004 14:42 EDT: Just spoke with Mom. They're on the way back home. They'll be borrowing the home of some friends of theirs in Riverwood until power is restored at their place. Mom reports that Mary Beth's power was restored in the last 24 hours or so

8/21/2004 19:00 EDT: As of 5:30 EDT, Florida Power and Light reported 49,800 customers are still without power in Charlotte County. Charlotte accounts for 82% of the customers without power.

Connor, Mom and Dad are back in Florida. Their neighborhood is still without power, but water was restored yesterday. The county remains under a mandatory boil order. Mom said the county is busy with activity. The National Guard are at every intersection, but most parking lots have been turned into staging areas for various utility companies. She'll try to send photos in the next day or so.

8/22/2004 19:00 EDT: Mom reports that electricity has been restored to their neighborhood. Still no phone service, and their AC isn't working, so they're continuing to stay at their friends' house for now. Dad says that 1/3 of the area schools have been condemned.

Time Warner Cable reports it has no service in the Punta Gorda and Charlotte County areas due to the extraordinary damage. Access to make repairs is severely restricted and there is no timetable as to when cable and data will be available. Commercial power will need to be restored and lines cleared before Time Warner Cable personnel can begin service restoration.

I received an email from Uncle Dick yesterday. He tells me Cousin David has been working the Lee, Collier and Charlotte County areas since the storm. He works for STS, Inc., one of those "call before you dig" companies. No doubt he's been very busy helping repair crews.

Sprint reported on Friday that it was an estimated 29,000 customers without phone service, 18,000 in the Avon Park district which includes Charlotte county. They say these numbers could change as customers return to residences and businesses and report individual outages. Customers can call 1-800-788-3600 to report outages.

8/23/2004 22:38 EDT: Mom reports they now have telephone service, so the only outstanding utility is cable TV, certainly a luxury in this time. Their A/C is out, but a repairman should be out on Wednesday. Once that's back up and running they'll move back home.

8/24/2004 13:01 EDT:NBC-2, the station I watched live on the Internet during the hurricane, resumed normal web operations (meaning, contents, advertising, and recipes) late last week. Since then, they've provided very little in the way of status updates and progress reports. They have had nothing substantive to report since Friday, so I've given up on them as a source of information. They were great during the first five days, but business is business and they've moved on.

8/26/2004: Mom and Dad are back home, their computers are hooked up, the AC's pumping out chilled air, and AMICA's already looked at their house. The cleanup continues around them, but life has returned to semi-normal for them. So, unless something exciting happens, I'll be closing out my Hurricane Charley coverage.

Tim Hipps reports that 24 competitors in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games are members of the US Military. The Army is the dominant contributor to Team USA with a total of 18 athletes and coaches.

Randy is in an all-out battle against Rep. Charlie Stenholm (D-Abilene) whose 17th District was combined with Randy's 19th District last year. While they're both incumbents, this is very much new-Republican verses old-Democrat. Randy was elected to finish Larry Combest's term when he stepped down a year ago while Stenholm has been in Congress since 1979. That's a nice, long run. Something he'll no doubt be able to use to get a new job in November.