Some folks are in a fuss over the proposal to provide in-state tuition rates to the kids of illegal immigrants.

Let’s take a look at it. How much did you contribute to the state economy before going to college? You might have been the exceptionally-motivated type who worked your way through college with no debt. If so, good for you (though you might have been better off taking those skills straight to the business world). Or you got the money from someone else, such as Mom And Dad Savings And Loan (if you’re lucky); scholarships (if you’re lucky and motivated); or good, old-fashioned indebtedness (the American way).

If you’re like most kids, though, your earnings contributed exactly diddily-squat. Babysitting money, lawn-cutting money, or minimum-wage slavery will only go so far. Of that, most is paid under the table (which makes you – wait for it – an undocumented worker!) What isn’t paid to you illegally (that is, as a minimum-wage slave) is likely too meager to be taxed, anyway.

The idea is to give these smart, motivated kids – kids who’ve proven themselves but come from poor immigrant families – the chance to pay a not-insane rate for college tuition. It isn’t free, the kid has to apply for citizenship, and above all – she has to prove she is a serious student.

Education is the most effective weapon against poverty. If the state can make it easier for immigrant kids to support themselves, we’re all better off.

I’m jonesing for some Roy Orbison music. Problem is, I don’t own any. Can anyone out there help a brother out and lend me a CD?

Rick Weiss, science writer for the Washington Post, wrote a fantastic commentary on the state of human curiosity. Stop what you’re doing and read it. Right now.

Go ahead. I’ll wait.
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Sure is rainin’, innit?

I think I’ve figured out why MT.Net’s webserver shuts down mysteriously in the mornings. The power company sends a burst signal through the lines when it wants to control the demand-side appliances, such as water heaters, to save electricity. This burst always makes my UPS complain, as it misinterprets it as a power outage. What I’m thinking is that after ten years of life, the UPS’s batteries have finally drained to the point that they can’t even ride over this split-second power fluctuation.

I’m going to plug the server directly in to the outlet to see if that helps.

Busy weekend. Spent Friday and Saturday on the road. Spent Sunday unloading the van, mowing the lawn, planting bushes, and finally finishing up our taxes. Oh, and some time spent hanging out with the family.

Longer posts are on the way.

I got back from Florida about an hour ago. It took two days of hard driving, but I fetched my grandmother’s furniture. I even got some visiting in with my aunt and uncle.

Lots of thoughts about this trip to follow. First some sleep is in order.

I logged into my Instant Messenger accounts this morning and was immediately pounced upon by an unknown person. The conversation went something like this.

unknownPerson: hotgrits? great name! lol!
h0tgrits: hi. who are you?
unknownPerson: just a guy from Ohio. I saw your name on the [geeky forum’s] member list
h0tgrits: ah, ok

(A minute or two goes by. I’m hoping that’s the end of this.)

unknownPerson: so are you from the South?

(Pause. Is this guy still hanging around?)

h0tgrits: why do you ask?
unknownPerson: grits are in the South
h0tgrits: actually, its a slashdot reference
unknownPerson: oh! I am so uninformed…lol

(pause)

unknownPerson: what is slashdot?

(I could see that one coming. One too many lol’s and no idea what Slashdot is. What am I doing here?)

h0tgrits: slashdot.org
h0tgrits: hey, nice chatting with you. I’ve got to get to work.
unknownPerson: ok lol. goodbye

I then decided to check my profile for this IM account. Aha! Years ago, I listed my gender as “female” to mess with the corporate bean counters at the IM Corporation.

I’ve just been hit on over the Internet.