• 09:12 Hangover cures: 1. Greasy breakfast 2. energy drinks 3. more sleep 4. not caring because every drink was worth the Sunday night out. #
• 11:14 Meeting over phone with Microsoft about Office 2010. Can't get LiveMeeting to launch in IE. Classic. #
• 14:23 The difference between being a writer and an editor? Drudge work. #
• 16:02 breaker, breaker one-nine! Hey good-buddy! (Momentary break out of CB radio talk. It's what growing up in the 70's did to many of us...) #
• 16:34 My washer/dryer are going on the auction block. After 1.5 decades as a grownup, as of Thursday I will have to pay for laundry by the load. #

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• 09:29 Cleaning binge! #

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• 11:37 rt @kmonson New PCMag After Hours podcast is up. We speak with Wolfram Alpha, Google, and the EFF: is.gd/1empb [I'm in-studio!] #
• 11:48 By the way, I'm NOT leaving PCMag.com. New job is managing editor of PCMag Business channel. PR flacks with SOHO/SMB, email me. NOT HERE. #
• 11:51 For PR: figure out my work email. If you send work pitches to my home emails or via Twitter or FB, I will ignore. I'm a jerk that way. #

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• 11:13 Managed to get an iPhone porn gag into the morning staff meeting. My work here is done. #
• 11:55 rt @PCMag You can use instant messaging to boost productivity! Check out our 8 tips to make IMs work for you. bit.ly/ipKNT #
• 12:09 rt @pcmagafterhours PCMag After Hours is streaming live! (ustre.am/2EGU) #fb #
• 20:13 RT @dancosta Our new Biz guy gives Google Voice an Editor's Choice award. I need an invite! bit.ly/ECc0X [Biz guy = me] #
• 21:41 Extra-sooper-speshul advanced sneak-peak: My review of Google Voice. is.gd/1dG5X [Spoiler: I love it.] #

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• 14:15 Dear NYC. I am coming to visit for 2 days. Please do what you usually do and make me like other places again. Kthnxbai. #

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• 12:50 Realizing: I put more care into proofing my tweets and Facebook status than I do into emails. (and that ain't sayin' much, is it?) #fb #
• 21:53 RT @steve_sutton PCMag Digital Edition, now available on Kindle: tinyurl.com/pcmagkindle [Doubt I know anyone outside work w/ Kindle] #

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• 08:59 rt @themediaisdying Online jounalism now and ten years ago. True? imgur.com/gQouk.jpg [me: So very, very true.] #
• 09:43 My iPhone is no longer aesthetically pleasing--too many home page icons are blue and green. May add red "InsultOmatic" icon for balance. #
• 13:07 RT @JasonCross00: Want to hire me? Know someone who might want to hire me? Resume and such are here: www.jasoncross.org/?p=13 #
• 15:18 RT @MichaelSinger: Obama Signs Anti-Smoking Bill Into Law - CBS News bit.ly/6Op1S #
• 15:20 How I have not lost a loved one to cancer caused by smoking is beyond me. But just a matter of time. Maybe this law will help. #

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• 10:22 That mention of "sealing wax" in Puff the Magic Dragon? Until a few years ago, I thought it was a compound for fixing ceilings. #
• 11:22 My dog did not wake me up with home-made pancakes. Nor even toast. You call this Father's Day, Caper? And I thought you were well trained. #
• 13:42 RT @underpope: Daikaijuzine 4.5 is now live! www.daikaijuzine.com Check it out! it's for King Ghidorah! #
• 16:35 Passed 200 followers on Twitter without realizing. Still can't understand why about 175 of you care what I say, but I'll keep saying it. #
• 17:14 rt @DanAmrich After upgrades, here's my netbook report. bit.ly/1Eci5 [Dan gives good upgrade.] #
• 17:44 Have spent $9.99 on an iPhone app. Which is not even iPhone 3.0 OS ready quite yet. I feel dirty. #
• 20:55 If Woody had gone to the police... this would never have happened. #

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It's Father's Day. One of the people who complains that my blog is now nothing but tweets that he can't understand is my dad ("Let me know when you put something up on your blog in English," he says). So, I'm going to write me an old-timey-fashioned bit of bloggeral just for him. About him. Then he'll be sorry.

1) My dad is so nice, he doesn't understand road rage. Which is weird because you could say he spent most of his professional life as a driver. In fact, as a kid, I never referred to his job as Emergency Medical Technician, I always said "My dad is an ambulance driver." And despite logging thousands of hours behind the wheel, arguable most of them transporting patients from Hornell to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, he apparently never got angry at another driver. He could never understand why anyone would bother.

2) The one time he told me a story about a driver that did annoy him was a person followed the ambulance to Rochester on Interstate 390. a family member of the patient. The family member tailgated the ambulance for a long while, putting both vehicles at risk. Dad simply got on the radio, called a cop, and a state trooper pulled the family member over until the ambulance could get a decent head start.

3) Dad was into gadgets of any kind when I was growing up. He had a nice little collection of electronics like the first micro-cassette recorder I ever saw (and don't get me started on the tools), but he decided with the advent of the personal computer he couldn't handle technology. I think he's just psyched himself out. Still not sure he wasn't kidding the two times I've explained to him what the Enter key does. ("It's just like the return key on the typewriter.") Despite that, we video chat on Skype all the time now. Go figure.

4) When he drove my brother and I around when we were kids (first in the VW bus, later in a series of pickup trucks) Dad would sing. A lot. We always screamed for him to stop, like it hurt our ears. But had a great, deep voice.

His favorite bit to sing was one stanza from a folksong about the railroad -- a fact I did not know until this morning when I looked it up on the Internet. The song is called "The Wreck of the old '97" and the verse he sang over and over again until it stuck in my head for my entire life was:

We were going down hill doing ninety miles an hour
When the whistle broke into a scream;
We were found in the wreck with our hands on the throttle,
And scalded to death by the steam.

That's not exactly how it goes in the original song, but he personalized it for the three of us, a father and his two boys, to be all scalded to death together.

5) Dad made up a story for my brother and me to tell at bed time about a motorcycle rider named Zoomer Boomer, probably because there were some toys out with that name in the early 70s, though the toys were cars. Anyway, I wish that story was still in my head like the death-by-steam song.

6) The only time my grandfather, his dad, ever swore in front of me was to say my dad drank "too much damn Coke!" Ah, the 70s, when Coca-Cola was bad, but cigarettes were okay.

7) Few people outside of Saint Nick himself are as obsessed with gift giving as my dad. I've inherited that gene too. Trying to break it, but it's hard; I find that I want to show someone means something to me, the first place my mind goes is to narrowing down the perfect gift to buy them. While that works great in my family, it's been a learning curve to find not every family is like that. Some families actually only give ONE gift to a person at Xmas, for example. (My dad could probably understand this mindset even less than road rage.)

Here's a picture of him with his two favorite things, his grandsons:

There's a thousand more things I can say about Mr. Gerald Kay Griffith, but I'll end with this: he's great. My dad probably couldn't beat up your dad... but my dad is still better.

Happy Father's Day.

• 07:31 I'm going now to pick up my dog. She will be substantially smaller and lighter than when i dropped her off a week ago. #fb #
• 08:41 Girl with cancer dies 7 hours after seeing private screening at home of UP; Pixar brought the DVD to her. Awesome & sad. is.gd/16fhD #
• 10:05 RT @kmonson: This week's @PCMagAfterHours podcast just posted: is.gd/16iom. Roll around in it and see how you feel afterward. #
• 10:28 I'm on @PCMagAfterHours podcast this week, so really, it's sooo much more awesomer than usual. is.gd/16iom #
• 10:56 This #followfriday is for the funniest tweeters, cause this week needs laughs: @bheater @southworth @TheAuthorGuy @rstevens #

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• 13:00 Sweet French Fried Jesus! Five Gusy Burgers and Fries coming to ITHACA. I repeat: FIVE GUYS. BAGS o' FRIES. So long, diet! You can suck it. #
• 16:27 thanks to yappie brother, I've already used 200 of my 450 AT&T Anytime Minutes this period. Which started THREE days ago. Gotta Skype more. #

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• 09:19 RT @LanceUlanoff: 2009 Utility Guide: A HUGE collection of utilities for Win XP, Vista and even Win 7 tr.im/oEQF [Very huge.] #
• 10:47 Tuesdays are for commiseratin'. #
• 13:49 Today is the 1st time I've had both yellow Labs at my apartment. I'm proud they didn't bark or slurp water during any of my calls so far. #
• 15:02 RT @JasonCross00: New Weird Al video! bit.ly/3K0exk #

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The annual Utility Guide from PCMag is live, and it's filled with great stuff that takes the suck OUT of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and in some cases, Windows 7.

Changes at PCMag (details to come) may mean this is my last big-honkin' feature, so enjoy. I know I did.

• 09:36 Life returns to normal: last night I heard a sound that would require Nature's Miracle for follow up. Good times. #
• 15:28 Time to plan what to do with the next TWELVE WEEKS of Friday afternoons off. Oh, maybe I'll sit in front of the computer! #

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• 00:35 Now and forever, I'll have facebook.com/egriffith. Until Facebook becomes next also-ran of the Intertubes. Kinda like saying "Intertubes." #

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My wife and I moved out of a very nice apartment in March of 1996 for one reason. We wanted a dog.

Our landlords, who we adored, and they adored us back, said no when we asked for the okay to get a pup. They didn't want to take the risk of damage or stains or whatever. I guess I don't blame them. Besides, I was 26-years-old. I should have owned real estate by that age, right?

So it was somewhat ironic that we found out our landlords' Labrador retriever, Sheba, was preggers. And they said we could have one of her puppies. We said, hell yes.

The litter came April 12, and for the next seven weeks we waited, visited the nine pups (all chocolate and black) occasionally, and finally, Memorial Day weekend, we got our dog. This came after a three day dog-sitting session that was meant to give us time to make the pick of the litter.

Except, at the end of the holiday, we still didn't know which pup we wanted.

So I sat in the grass of the back yard and I watched this gaggle of seven-week-olds frolic, and I waited for one of them to come to me.

That's how I found my Siren.

She picked me.

We named her Siren because the first full day she had without her litter-mates, her first day in a crate, she howled like a banshee. Here's the evidence from day two:

Of course, after that video was made, she never howled again. Ever. She was contrary like that.

She got the nickname "the poop-dog" early on, and variants: pooper, princess of poo, etc. Not that she was any more prone to poo than any other dog. We liked it because she was poop-colored. Her AKC name, which she needed to participate in agility trials, was "Griffith's No Cause for Alarm."

She was an agility champion after a somewhat rocky start; she got good enough that a photo of her in action (below) graced an agility calendar cover one year. She loved flyball, for a while, until we decided it was to much for her elbows. Despite lots of training, she was terrible on a leash. Off-leash, she was great. She never strayed far, and spent a lot of her time looking over her shoulder, as if to make sure the humans were in the proper place.

She had a sensitive stomach and threw up puddles of bile when her tum-tum was too empty. She didn't care much about other dogs, but she would play with her adoptive sister Kylie if provoked enough. This is her with Caper in 1999.

Siren's overwhelming characteristic: that innate Retriever need to fetch things. Especially sticks (which she liked to also shred) and tennis balls. She'd dive off a wall into murky water without any regard for depth or personal safety to get one. 

My friend Vikki said to me recently, "when I think of Siren, I always think of her staring you down, willing you to throw a tennis ball for her to chase down...[it's] that thing that kind of makes her Siren." And that's so exactly right. That was my baby girl to a T.

Here's my favorite picture ever taken of her, called "the snot picture," which includes the stare:

Siren wasn't always a ray of sunshine. She was not into cuddling. Maybe if it was her idea, but otherwise she was happy to sit by herself. She did kiss the hell out of anyone she could, but it always came off as a bribe -- "I LOVE YOU now throw the damn ball" -- than actual affection.

I took what I could get. 

She was remarkably healthy (especially for a dog with so many issues, from elbow dysplasia, the aforementioned stomach thing, and a penchant for reverse sneezes). Healthy until the last few years at least. When her age snuck up on her, and her thyroid acted up and her vertebrae fused and patches of her hair fell out and I don't know what else. 

Keeping her around this long was selfish and lazy of me. And I hope she never, ever held it against us. But she might have. She was a dog capable of a grudge, I firmly believe that. That said, I also don't think her final days were unhappy, despite her limits. At least I hope so. She got walks. She got stick. She got meat and ice cream and good pain meds. And one last time, she got to hold the true love of her life, a tennis ball.

Now she's gone.

So I'll say this to her here, like I hope I remember to say as she passed...

For 13 years, Siren, I have loved you, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Thank you for letting me be your guardian, your parent, and your friend.

• 14:00 When will people stop daring the cops to taser them? It never ends well. ping.fm/IuHXH #
• 14:56 If any of the IMified guys are watching (like last time), uh, well, my account seems to be offline again. And I need a screen grab. Help? #
• 15:04 Should Creative Writing be Taught?is.gd/XK9C (BTW, if you write SF/Fantasy, apply now for Viable Paradise! is.gd/XKkh) #
• 15:09 imagine how much more we could all say if Twitter didn't require the http:// for links to work. Seven characters that could CHANGE THE WORLD #

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• 10:56 I will never reach 200 followers on twitter if I keep insisting they all be humans. Srsly, what's so great about humans? #
• 11:45 The First Law of Instant Messaging: The people you most want to send a link to will not be signed on until you forget about said link. #
• 11:59 The 2nd Law of Instant Messaging: When person you wanted to send a link does eventually sign on, they will send the link to you. #
• 12:08 #crapsuperpowers peeing blue #
• 12:10 screw it, i want more bot followers, so here's some keywords: finance porn iphone cake Apple Google AT&T spam MLM wireless pizza #
• 14:31 my brother sent me a 6MB video file via email; I found nine copies of same video on YouTube in about four seconds. #
• 15:33 RT @Southworth: #crapsuperpowers the ability to become aroused following coitus, but only if you rest first and maybe have a sandwich. #
• 22:16 RT @EatingIthaca: Ithaca restaurant closing calendar: Willow closes 6/18, ABC Cafe closes 6/21, and Queen of Tarts closes 6/30. #

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• 11:35 Apple took a lot of crap for the baby-shake app. Will the Onion News Network get same treatment? is.gd/TgJa I'm betting...no. #
• 12:57 my apartment complex suddenly smells like toast. Am I have a stroke? #
• 13:05 Funny to see the PCMag staff's fav URL shortners. I count three for @saschasegan at #wwdc keynote so far. (one is is.gd/Tn60) #
• 13:11 Doesn't anyone offer a personalized URL shortener service? So we could all use something like pc.mg/whatevs for our stories? #
• 17:06 No immediate MMS on iPhone 3G gives me no desire to update mine to 3.0. I'll wait and see how many phones it breaks first. #

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