Well, I guess the Chinese gov't. doesn't stop all the domains from being registered. We now are the proud owners of a few domains in China. Now it will be fun to see what we can do with them....

It did take quite a few days for them to be cleared. Probably the Chinese gov't. looking at them to make sure they are 'ok'-

Welcome to the new age of cyber squatting...
Ok, prompted by a recent slashdot article (http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/05/04/26/2214228.shtml?tid=95&tid=17)
I started reading about how China is putting into place a new system of DNS for domains that are written entirely in Chinese (not the hybrid chinese+.cn)- And it takes a plug in for the browser to work correctly with the new domains currently. Given that by some estimates by the year 2008 MORE THAN HALF of all the internet users will be surfing in CHINESE, I thought it would be a good time to start investigating how this new system will work, how to get domains, etc....

Many large companies have already started to register 'inside China' their domains in Chinese. The catch is that the way the new system is going in will provide an easier (for now?) means of control over internet traffic in and out of 'the great firewall' that is China. But that doesn't seem to matter....the cyber squatting of domains will no doubt start (if it hasn't already) in the Chinese arena. The company that is working on this (i-DNS) is also going on with domains in other languages (like Korean)- Keep in mind, these are not just ammended hybrid names, they are pure domains in the language of the given country. Plugins help the browser understand how to deal with the way the names are formed. In China they are already moving towards hardware and software that isn't just 'a translation/lookup' of an ASCII equivalent, but honest-to-goodness dealing with the name as a URL-

BIG business opportunities seem just over the horizon for this type of setup....in many fields...

I also love that as you are registering the domains, there is a disclaimer stating that the Chinese government can deny your request for a domain....I guess they don't want any falun gong sites or MAOSucks.com type things going on...

For those interested the English pronounciation for the TLDs are as follows: .com = .gong si .net = .wang luo

(I'd type the Hanzi/characters but if you don't have the proper software installed you'd just see garbage)-

I just tried to register a domain, I'll post what happens as the process moves on....

(Oh, and they are expensive...$125 for two years is the min order- trying to keep squatting away with cost?)

Well, much to our dismay we will not be going home today. The possibility is still there that we may be able to go home on Friday.

Today we will be doing radiation to Katie's brain, and having examinations with: the infections doctor, the neurosurgeon, the oncologist and the radiologist.

In all we've seen 16 different doctors since we've been here in the hospital (so far).

In spite of the news that we will not be going home today Katie remains in good spirits, optimistic about leaving this place on Friday....

Well they may let us go home in the morning. Not for long, only like a week , or even just a few days...we still have a long way to go...but going home would be so nice. It's been one hell of a month here at the hospital.

This morning (the first morning after Katie's brain surgery) was really tough, tougher (on me) than any day yet here at the hospital.

Katie needed to use the restroom this morning at about 6:30am. I have to help her, due to all the ivs - and given her weakened state. After she got off of the toilet she walked to the sink to wash her hands. I noticed she had a glazed look in her eyes, and she was just staring at herself in the mirror. A moment later she said softly "I feel dizzy"- I ran to her side (she was facing the sink) and grabbed her in a 'bear-hug' type position. Katie began to collapse, her eyes still open. At the same time she collapsed, she passed gas, a sign of her body shutting down. Her hands began to 'twitch' (not shake, like in a seizure, but twitch)- the combination of all the things going on: the 'twitching,' the open eyes, the lack of response, the fact that because of her position I had to grab her from the side so I could not feel her breathing or a pulse, the passing of gas- all lead me to believe that she had died-

I held Katie for about 35 seconds, trying to figure out what to do- we were alone in the room, and I believed that she had just died. I eventually ran to the nurse call button, and told them that I needed a nurse immediately. I ran back to Katie (I think I was in shock)- and Katie began to come-to.

The nurse helped me get Katie back into her bed, she was still quite dis-oriented. After we got her back in her bed, I broke down. I had really believed that my wife had just died in my arms. I will never forget that feeling, or this day.

One phrase I never thought I'd be saying: the brain operation went well.

After just over two hours, Katie has an Ommaya reservoir into her brain. The operation went as good as can be expected for such an invasive surgery. Those were the longest two hours of my life so far. Katie has the best attitude, and has already started making jokes about needing things like she needs *yet another* hole in her head. In spite of all of this going on she is positive and up-beat.

I have never heard her pray for herself, without praying for someone else first- usually she prays for all the people on the floor here, and THEN for herself. Simply an amazing woman.

She is sleeping now, still feeling the effects of the drugs and the surgery. In the morning we will start the first run of radiation treatments, local to her brain as well. Talk about a busy week.

It is amazing to see how many people are helping out. Some friends have set up a paypal account for online donations, and my work has opened a bank account at Bank of America for charitable donations. This is all so amazing to watch.

Update:

We are on schedule for an operation on Monday, where they will put a hole in her skull to facilitate giving chemotherapy directly to her brain. After that chemo, we will have radiation treatment, local to her brain also. The central nervous system problems are still with us, including a double vision problem and a problem with cranial nerve VI, dealing with the facial muscles.

Today seems a bit better than yesterday- better days like today are what keeps us going.

The Kathryn Condie Clarke Leukemia Trust Fund
Account number: 004657664772
Bank: Bank of America

Paypal account: thekatiefund@yahoo.com

We are currently on Arsenic (Trisinex) to kill the Leukemic white blood cells - the treatment also kills the immune system-

The nurse came in this morning with the results of our daily blood draw- and told us that the little progress we had seen with her white blood cell count going down (a good thing) was totally undone, and that in one 8 hour period her counts were worse than when we first got to the hospital- basically they said she is dying. The report from the nurse, combined with how tired I am from sleeping in a chair for well over a month (to be closer to the bed, if she needed me in the night) killed all the hope that I had in my heart. A specialist was called in to try and help...and after 2 hours of more needles, poking, and questions, he re-ran the tests. The hospital had made a mistake, and confused her blood draw from that morning with the room across the hall. It was NOT her test result that they had told us this morning. I literally collapsed into a chair for about 3 hours after that, going back and forth between crying and trying to figure out how to sue this hospital for a dollar amount requisite to the day that we have just had. I have come to the conclusion that there is no amount of money for that type of suffering.

Our current status: she is sleeping (that's when I steal away into the internet, studying her medication, her condition,, and trying to escape life for a few moments online. Really that's all just onlie...you don't really escape.

Her doctor is going to take a marrow biopsy in the morning, followed by an LP (lumbar puncture: think large needle put into your spine)- so it will be a difficult day.

I was wondering why I am writing this here...I guess it's some sort of pressure valve emotionally, so that I don't just explode. Even just typing it out seems to help somewhat- and it's better to type like this while she's sleeping that talking on a phone, and writing on paper would require more than the dull light of this laptop screen.

If it is true that you cannot know the sweet if you do not know the bitter, then good information from our doctors will be a sweet of a magnitude unknow to us previously...

The cardio Dr. came in this morning to let us know that her heart is doing well. This is good news, especially since the chemo that she is on is Arsenic based, and has nasty heart related problems it can bring on... ...as always when one system seems to be doing well, we find problems with others: the arsenic however seems to be causing problems with the central nervous system. Double vision, and a 'palsy' like lack of control of half of her face. She still smiles, and makes jokes, saying that now she smiles like Katie Holmes from Dawson's Creek (she has always made fun of Katie Holmes' "half-smile")-

My wife is such an example of strength and positive thinking - an amazing woman.

The results from the MRI that they took this morning actually show an improvement...something that I was really worried about. I was afraid that her CNS problems that have been surfacing would be manifest in negative results from this MRI...

Her levels were however low enough today that we weren't allowed to continue with her much needed chemo- a minor set back...but a set back none the less...(if we miss too many days in this chemo run we will need to start the entire process over again...)

The boss called today, and told me that I better not even think about showing up at work for a while, and he is going to continue to pay me my regular salary- there is a god. He went further to say that the company has set up a Charitable Donation account for us, to help cover the costs of medical/hospital/doctor bills...

It turns out that yet again there is a nation-wide shortage of fresh blood...I have been encouraging anyone and everyone to go donate blood or platelets...several times we've had blood on order (needed desperately) and not have it show up here at the hospital for several days...they won't take my blood, and the doctor won't let her brothers and sister giver her blood, because it could cause her to build antibodies against them, and we will need them in the near future for her bone marrow transplant.

Amazingly, spirits are high tonight. She's sleeping better tonight than she has in a long time. She prays for everyone that prays for her. Simply amazing, even in a state like this she worries about being a burden or imposition on others. I can't imagine what a major ass I would be in her situation, complaining or being angry...but she is amazing. I am very lucky to have married her (going on two months now)

It is amazing how quickly things can change...watching my new bride go from a wedding gown to a hospital gown has been really tough...it was hard to finally make the plunge and get married...lord knows she waited long enough...but two weeks into the 'wedded-bliss' she is diagnosed with Acute leukemia...for the past four weeks I've slept in a chair in the hospital...it is truly pathetic that slashdot seems to be my main source of distraction from this whole situation, in the long hours of the night...she's sleeping now, as she often does after a fresh dose of chemotherapy. Sometimes life is hard. I've never wanted a perfect understanding of things, I just want to be happy. I've never hated my sysadmin job more than the night a major server went down, and I had to go into the office while my new wife sat in the bed, watching her hair falling out and crying. Sometimes life is hard.

LosT

I just realized that my "job description" is now a dynamic document. What is my job? The better thought would be "There is no job". At least I get to see the sneak preview of the Matrix tonight (and I don't have to pay for it, which is always good)~

Did you know that it is the fault of the Computer Systems Manager when CASE FANS FAIL? Amazing, I didn't know I created DUST. I'm pretty powerful I guess.

..and I wonder why people think I am him?

Yeah, both have the word BOY in the name...if thats all it takes to make a connection then there are lots of dupes on /.

*shrug*

Some people must have wonderful lives, being all pissed all the time. How fun is that...sad.

So I *finally* talked the boss in to breaking down and just buying new computers for our backups. HDs are so cheap now that just mirroring is fast AND cheap.

I am *still* getting guff for putting Linux on my workstation. I don't know why, nobody but me EVER uses my workstation. Its AMAZING how fear of the unknown drives people to make stupid comments. It doesn't have Windoze start button, so it MUST BE OF THE DEVIL. Whatever.

Thank goodness its Friday once again.

So I've been playing around with RH9.0- After putting up some Reloaded wallpaper, and kicking on the Matrix screensaver, the rest of the office has now dubbed this workstation the "Matrix Machine" - (and have started calling me Neo....not sure which is worse, that or the previous names they had for me, such as "Net-boy"- however when there is a problem, "net-boy" suddenly turns into "net-god")-

For some strange reason I'm having trouble getting new RPMs to install. Just I just need to play with the system some more.

So I got upset at work...and in my anger dual booted my workstation with Redhat 9.0~ (This freaks most of the office, causing them to run wildy around mumbling about how nobody can use that computer if I am not here...because nobody knows how to "run" LinuX~) Geez. It's not brain surgery people. You don't even have to look at a command line anymore if you don't want to....

The fact that I can't listen to my MP3s with a fresh install is pissing me off though. Yeah, I can take care of that...but it's annoying. I don't see the OGG support gaining popularity *yet*