SQL*Plus Configuration Settings

I run sql*plus in text mode a lot. You can always count on it being there, the functionality is consistent from version to version, and it doesn't require a lot of infrastructure to be running before it can successfully connect.
But there are a few settings I want to have set up on startup. This is reasonably straightforward, just use a script file that contains your preferences, and call it as part of startup.
So here are my oracle settings (stored in a file orasettings.sql):

set termout off
set linesize 140
set pagesize 1000
set long 5000
set timing on
column D22 new_value VAR
select lower(username) || '@' || '&_CONNECT_IDENTIFIER> ' D22 from user_users;
set sqlprompt '&&VAR'
set sqlnumber on

col text format a80 word_wrapped
col st_sectiontext format a80 word_wrapped

set termout on

Now, for how to call it. From the OS command processor (i.e., windows "cmd" command prompt):
sqlplus username@service @orasettings
The other way to "reconnect" is to "modify" the connect command using a script file "conn.sql":

connect &1
@orasettings

and then from a SQL> prompt, you execute
SQL> @conn username@service
enter password:
connected.
username@service>

The last trick, at least on Windows, is to make sure these two files are placed in the location that sqlplus is looking for. That location is stored in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\\SQLPATH.
I usually add the root "c:\oracle" as the sqlpath and store the files there, but that's mainly because I have multiple accounts with little in the way of consistency as to paths and locations I can store these things, and I have little interest in figuring out some clever way to remember where to look.
Even this post is meant more for me to be able to grab the settings I use from anywhere in the world than to enlighten the masses. But feel free to use it if you want.

The Health Care Post

President Obama introduced another linchpin of his health care plan today, formalizing an agreement with the Planet Endor to provide a cadre of trained Ewok medical professionals to handle the expected surge in primary care demand.

It's a Dessert Topping and a Floor Wax!

From the AP, that paragon of "accountability journalism":

Kirk, though, has been slow to make a decision, saying several times that an announcement is eminent but failing to make a concrete statement.

Well, of course it takes longer... it has to be both eminent and concrete!

Happy Independence Day

We are a great nation, with a healthy distrust of government.
And we don't hire particularly stellar people for the job.
It's what we do with that surplus of law degrees.
So I'm not surprised that 536 politicians + umpteen thousands of state and local politicians can't -- just can't -- make tough decisions.

We will march onward. Remember, "Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious"...

The New Chrysler

Do I understand this correctly? The two-bit lawyer believes that the most successful outcome is the combination of the UAW's passion for quality with the sustained excellence of Italian Management?

  

I mean, wow.

I'm just... wow.

Wow.

Please Support the 2009 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

On Sunday, June 7, 2009, our family will be walking in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne,VA. Most of you know that our 9-year-old son, Sean, was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes in October 2001 when he was just 21 months old. Besides closely monitoring his diet and exercise, we must test Sean’s blood sugar levels with finger pricks about ten times a day and throughout the night, and administer insulin every few hours at least. This has been true every day of the last 7.5 years. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for managing diabetes, since too many variables ALL have an impact on blood sugar at the same time. We've had a long, tough road, and we would love to spare others from this path by finding a cure. Children with Type 1 diabetes are insulin-dependent for life: they will not outgrow Type 1 diabetes and cannot take pills to treat this disease, so therefore the regimen described above must continue day in and day out until a cure is found. In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas simply stops producing insulin altogether... the diabetes is NOT caused by poor food or exercise choices.
Our family would love your help and support in finding a cure for this disease. We have established a Walk Team called Team Sean, and our goal is to walk together with our friends in support of this cause and to raise at least $2,000. We know we can reach these goals, and would appreciate your help.

Make a tax-deductible contribution in support of Team Sean via cash, check or credit card. Any amount is welcome and appreciated.... $10 - $20 increments really add up! 85% of your donation to JDRF goes directly to diabetes research and education. This is one of the highest percentages for any research-dedicated charity!
If you wish to make an online donation or see Team Sean's progress, please visit Sean's personal JDRF web page at http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87355919

$50 Billion investment, 80 jobs in Mass.

I feel great to have spent so much to get GM back on its feet, only to have the first real benefit to its reorganization get overrun by Barney Frank.

Perhaps he needs the extra cash to contribute to his friend Angelo Mozilo's Legal Defense Fund.

Proof that there's extra money floating around in America

Someone continues to spend it in the hope that Will Farrell will do something entertaining.

I mean, c'mon. If you've paid a dollar to see him, in theatre or DVD, you're part of the problem. 

I would apologize for the brusque and preemptory nature of this announcement, but I caught a glimpse of this "Land of the Lost" thing. 

Wow. Just... wow.

Dow closes below 6800

When they yearned to erase the nightmare of the Bush years, and return to the halcyon days of Clinton, was this what they meant?

So Microsoft is going Retail

Let's think about the overall retail experience for a minute. Apple Store employees will spend a half hour with you, discussing the relative merits of a $1499 Macbook Pro vs. an $1199 Macbook. Microsoft salesmen will spend 14 hours with you trying to explain the difference between Vista Ultimate Home Media Center and Vista Business Pro Ulitmate Experience, defending the decision to offer no clean upgrade path from XP to Windows7 Not-Quite-Ultimate-But-Really-Leading-Edge so that they can sell you the $320 package vs. the $249 package.

I finally understand the 'genius' thing.

The Myth of Bipartisanship

It is pointless to whine about bipartisanship, as the Washington Post documents here. You will get exactly as much bipartisanship as you have votes. And right now, the one side has the votes.
There is a key, critical point to be made here, but bipartisanship is the wrong word for it.
If this crisis is as bad as the 535 idiot savants in congress would have us believe, then they (we) need to maintain laser-like focus on those things that will set us up best for the future. It's too much to expect these lawyers to treat the situation with the seriousness it deserves. That's not how they roll.
This isn't about the split between tax cuts, pure infrastructure spending, and the other stuff that adds up to $820Billion with a B. The majority gets to make that kind of call. Republicans who vote 'Nay' because there aren't enough tax cuts, or the social spending component is too high, are missing the persuasive argument. You can't win this egregious-spending-line-item by egregious-spending-line-item; you'll whittle the bill down to an $819Billion with a B spending orgy, and look intransigent in the process.
So the countervailing strategy is to ask "do these people even understand what they're voting on"? How do we know that $820B is the answer, rather than $355B? The same GS-15 economists are toiling away in the depths of the Treasury Dept. today that were there last fall. At a high level, does the package make sense? Can you get a sense of the size of the thing? Congress has failed to give me -- and I think most people -- much confidence in that regard.
So, it's up to Mr. Obama. If his idea of bipartisan is leeching a few votes, getting to some magic number of '75', then he'll get exactly what he deserves. If, on the other hand, he doesn't treat this as a political game, and uses his high ground to take out the worst of the fluff, he could be sitting very nicely after the vote.
An adult in charge -- that's the change we need.

This is our Moment

I guess it's a lot easier to dismiss bourgeois concerns about tax rates when you don't bother to pay them.
Wow... just wow.

Mr. McCain makes good Russian Joke!

This week, Mr. McCain called Nancy Pelosi an "inspiration to millions of Americans."

He's correct, in the sense that we all have this hope that The Picture of Dorian Grey was a documentary.

But to think of her as two heartbeats away is not terribly inspirational. Although terrible does come into play.

A Three-Month Sprint

99 days to the election, and the electorate is none the wiser.
With a month of Olympics interrupting any flow, I must admit I find it kind of appalling that we'll be selecting the "leader of the free world" with about 60 days' worth of attention from the vast sea of undecided.
I guess we give it the attention it deserves.
I do have some advice for Mr. McCain. His campaign so far has been very reactive; Mr. Obama makes a speech, and then the McCain campaign complains about it (or "points out the flaws" if you're already a true believer). I don't think you can get elected if you can't define what you're for rather than just what you're against.
So here are my two themes for the race to the finish. First, I believe that Mr. Obama will select a lawyer as his running mate (90% chance). If so, I will begin referring to the team as "the two laywers" (bonus points for two Hahvahd Lawyers!!). Every reference to a laywer turned community activist turned politician serves to remind the undecided that these guys are not like "us". They are the guys you hated in school -- slick, smarmy, smug, and not nearly as smart as they think they are.
The rest of the narrative writes itself -- "The two lawyers, trained to argue whichever side is paying them -- they are advocates, not warriors. There's no idea or principle that they're willing to die for. Take national security -- the surge was an appropriate response to the situation. But they scored points arguing the other side. And now they're trapped with a position on withdrawal that isn't supported by the facts on the ground. They have no ability to change their minds based on the advice of military leadership. They will plod along, pursuing an incorrect, premature withdrawal. They have no definition of success except withdrawal. I believe we can succeed in leaving Iraq a better place -- a messy, dangerous, but hopeful burgeoning democracy in the Middle East. They can't -- I will."
"On the economy, energy prices are the fundamental factor that is causing so much pain for so many people. The two lawyers -- remember, the ones that sharks won't eat out of professional courtesy -- won their positions by promising to go after "speculators" and pursuing "alternative energy solutions". That's the lawyer's view of economics -- there must be somebody doing something wrong, rather than getting their hands dirty with basic laws of supply and demand. No! We need to invest in alternative energy solutions, but it will take time. In the shorter term, we must do the two things that can significantly affect supply and demand for oil. First, drill in America. Second, invest in increasing our nuclear energy generation. The two lawyers are smart guys -- maybe they even recognize that this is true -- but they can't get that idea through their supporters. What will it take? $8 per gallon gas? Solar cars? Everyone on buses or bicycles? When it comes to addressing this problem, they can't -- I will."
"They can't -- I will."
"They can't -- I will."
"They can't -- I will."
On earmarks -- "They can't -- I will."
On education -- "They can't -- I will."
On Iran -- "They can't -- I will."
On keeping their hands out of your pockets -- "They can't -- I will."
On spending your money wisely -- "They can't -- I will."
On working together, republicans and democrats, to solve some of the problems of the day -- "They can't -- I will. He hasn't, not even a little bit, not once in his three-year history in the Senate -- I have, continually, for twenty years. I'll get things done."

This spring's weather...

has been something to behold.

Change you can believe in?

So, Mr. Obama will renege on his promise and be the first presidential candidate to refuse public funding for the general election.
You can't really argue with his logic. He can make (I guess 'raise' is the approved term) and spend more money outside the system than the $85M public funding maximum.
A tiny voice inside my head wishes that he wouldn't break the chain, but in any contest between public interest and self interest, self interest will win.
But to stand there in front of all of us (on videotape) and explain that he's doing it for "us" -- "So join me, and declare your independence from this broken system, and let's build the first general election campaign that's truly funded by the American people" -- goes beyond the pale.
Mr. Obama, are you out of your mind? Do not lie to me. You have no record of reaching across the aisle to put the nation's interest above rank-and-file democratic concerns. You have no record of making hard calls that might alienate your core constituency. Your positions on the issues of the day do not show any pattern of a "post-partisan new way of thinking".
So when you stand there and glibly lie -- and a lie is exactly what it is -- about your rationale, you demean yourself and you insult me.
You demean the hope that a lot of people are placing in you.
Your message promises much more than you are delivering. And if you can't tell the truth now, imagine how hard it will be next year?

And a few hours after I post this, we get the following from the Washington Post.

Our Annual Walk for the Cause

I thought I'd take a moment from wondering where Mr. Obama will get his spiritual advice now to beg for a bit of help. Tomorrow, June 1, we will be walking in support of my son, Sean, at the Virginia Walk for the Cure.

This is our seventh walk, and I'm pleased to say that Sean is a healthy, normal 8-year old. The biggest differences are that (1) he gets to carry around a "cell phone", which is his insulin pump; (2) when he eats us out of house and home, the total devastation of our pantry is measured in grams of carbohydrate; and (3) "sick days" are a little more adventurous for us than for many parents.

So once a year, we need and ask for your help. Help Team Sean support the JDRF mission by donating. Here is the link:

URL: http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=86750816

JDRF was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with type 1 diabetes - a disease that strikes children, adolescents, and adults suddenly, makes them insulin dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $1 billion to diabetes research worldwide. More than 80 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

As always, thanks!

America -- The Scariest Place on Earth

So, a Mr. Frank writes in the WSJ:

"It is, in other words, a political disaster, with tax cuts, trade agreements, deregulatory measures, and enforcement decisions all finely crafted to benefit one part of society and leave the rest behind. Few of the voters who gave Ronald Reagan his landslide victories, it is fair to say, intended for this to be the outcome. They wanted their country to stand tall again, certainly; they wanted the scary regulators off their backs, maybe; but I can recall no conservative who trumpeted those long-ago elections – or any of the succeeding contests, for that matter – as a referendum on plutocracy.

So let us have one now. Instead of pleasant talk about "change" and feats of beer drinking at the corner tavern, let us hear our candidates address this greatest issue of them all: What kind of country are we to be? A land of equality? Or a bankers' utopia – where the law of the land has achieved mystical oneness with the higher law of classical economics, and devil take the bottom 80%."

This outlook baffles me. If America means anything at all, the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" must be the centerpiece of our common goal. We have fallen short of that goal -- as every work of humankind has and will -- but who argues with that as the goal?

But now, Mr. Frank yearns for equality. Which phrase do you think Mr. Jefferson had in the first rough draft of the declaration?

(a) ...all men are created equal, and equal they should end,
(b) ...all men are created equal, and the rest is up to you...
(c) ...all men are created equal, and don't you get too far off the reservation, buddy!

Hyperbole in defense of liberty is no crime.

These last 10-15 years have been a strange ride. Incredible dislocation, angst, jarring macroeconomic changes... but also amazing economic productivity, mind-boggling technological breakthroughs, and when I compare the health of the nation to that of the 1970's -- or the 1980's, for that matter -- there is no comparison.

So, Mr. Frank, you shoot for the government that sucks up 45% of GDP with 10% unemployment, a stagnating society with low birth rates and the inability to reconcile its economic abilities with its political-military responsibilities. In fact, in one of those societies, "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" is the basic organizing principle. If that's what he wants, then by all means get out there and evangelize the "French model".

The world will be a better place after we, the people, consider his request.

On Mssrs. Obama and Wright

I have found the events of the past couple of weeks deeply troubling, I think a lot more deeply than than I will be able to write, but it seems like it's worth a shot.
There are many ways to start peeling this onion. Let me start with Mr. Wright.
I don't agree with most of what I've heard from him, which clearly isn't his entire 20-year ministry, but nothing I have heard in his defense has been "he doesn't really believe that", so I'm going to assume that the remarks played so often are consistent with his overall message. Certainly, his recent public speaking engagements gave him a chance to refute or repudiate any errors of fact that have occurred.
I do not agree with his claim that 9/11 is an example of "chickens coming home to roost". That is an incorrect reading of the motivations of Al Queda certainly, and of Middle-Eastern/Muslim societies in general. But as a pastor, asking his flock to look within our society for Sin, I don't find it offensive or out-of-bounds to have that point of view.
I have a real deep problem with his claims that the government was involved in "inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color". The historical record is damning enough without having to make up, reinforce, and socialize conspiracy theories. “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied.” No, it didn't. And while Wright (or you and I, for that matter) can surf the web and find some crazy site that claims to have evidence that HIV is a government invention, it only takes a modicum of judgement and discernment to figure out the correct answer. And that, Mr. Wright, is what you get paid for -- using your judgement and discernment in a leadership position.
And this is where someone should've nudged Mr. Obama. There, in a church filled with hundreds of Americans, a person in a position of influence used a casual lie that would/could/should have a dramatic impact on how each person in the room sees the world. And a leader that knows this, sees this, hears this, and realizes what kind of poison this lie carries should/could/must speak out. And Mr. Obama didn't; and still hasn't, really.

Another facet of this issue: the church I grew up in was a somewhat-racially-integrated Catholic Church in middle-class Detroit. I say "somewhat", because although there were many black families that attended, the numbers were not in proportion to the overall population (at least from my pre-teen recollections). So I thought "Black Churches" were just like mine, except for longer sermons and better music. Now I find that there's a big difference; I don't know how close to "normal" Trinity is, but it's clear that the "Black Church" faith experience is much different than my preconceived notions.

So maybe this is over, and I certainly believe it's not the most important thing in a President. But I do believe that Mr. Obama is a lot more like a "regular" politician than his supporters believe, and that his inexperience in campaigning and in governing will be an ongoing problem. Whether the problem ends in November or not is the fundamental question.

First, Let's Kill all the Lawyers

Lawrence Lindsey writes in the WSJ about the Michigan/Florida voting fiasco. These are the same idiots who write the laws that get challenged and overturned in court (witness Virginia's Special-Tax-for-Road-Construction this year).
This is the typical liberal story -- create rules to force some sort of arbitrary legal compliance [because "normal rules" really don't specify when you can or can not have a vote], threaten a "nuclear option" [refuse to seat the delegates in any way, shape, or form], then watch as the rule gets ignored. And wait for more lawyers to get involved with claims of "disenfranchisement". So now the rulebreakers don't even have to suffer the consequences -- or if they do, it's because Team Obama worked hard in the background to torpedo any revote. As Homer Simpson would say, I am so smart, I am so smart, S M R T, I mean S M A R T."

So which of the Democratic Presidential candidates this go-round was not a lawyer?

PS -- here's the Washington Post article on the "other half" of Virginia's Road Improvement Money Scam. Wow... just wow.