Every June through September...

Oh how well do I know this situation.

I Keel Yew Indeed

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Gee, that looks familiar. I don't know where I've ever seen a scene like that...

Oh yeah. At the house. For the past week and a half.

Take one 2 year old Rottweiler/Pitbull mix, all 130 muscular pounds of him. Add one 10 week old Rottweiler/Coonhound mix, all 10 pounds of her.

Of course in her mind, she's not 10 pounds. She's 100 pounds of spunk in a little bitty body. So she throws herself at Jayne, pouncing and barking and yipping. Jayne puts up with it very good-naturedly and sometimes goads her into it.

So they get into play fights where she leaps 3 times her body length and he barely moves his head and gets his mouth on her neck. They think this is great fun.

However, when she tries to get away that mouth on her neck turns into a hold on her collar. Yes, Jayne has figured out he can drag the puppy back to him with a hold on her collar.

It's funny as all hell, and she soooooo deserves it.

Mel

Up for a major promotion at work

So, like the title says, I'm up for a major promotion at work.

My boss is going to retire next year; and between then and now, he's being moved into a position to focus on strategic architecture and special projects.

Basically he's going to be his bosses personal architect and troubleshooter. He's already doing that, but because of changes in the division he has to split to one side or the other; and because he's retiring next year, his boss wants him to focus on the special projects rather than be the new manager.

They're doing this, because the role is expanding to encompass more staff and more responsibility. So it's effectively an entirely new position, and he's not going to be able to do the special stuff he's already doing, and be the manager at the same time.

We're going to probably increase the size of the group by 50% or more, and take over two whole new areas of responsibility, that will require new technologies, training, and expertise. We're also going to take a stronger role in the enterprise as a whole, driving more of the architecture for the whole company, and moving us more towards our strategic goals.

I would be moving from the lead of my team, to being the design, engineering, and architecture manager for the whole division; and we'd both be reporting to the guy who is now his boss (who is effectively the senior VP of the divison. He reports to a director who runs 5 divisions, who reports to the CIO).

Basically, I'd be going from 5 guys between me and the CEO, to 4 guys between me and the CEO; and from being the lead of 8 guys including me, to being the manager of 12 guys not including me.

The new job would be about a $20k pay bump, an increase in bonus to 20%, and a doubling of my annual stock options.

It would also be a lot more responsibility, a little bit of travel, a lot more BS etc... But I would get the chance to really help and protect my guys, and help move the organization where it should be.

I had my formal interview for the position this morning. It went very well. I've effectively been working directly for my bosses boss for a while now anyway, and he knows me very well. We have the same vision, goals, and ideas for the division, the group, and the position in question.

I've already got the relationships with all the other managers in the division, I know the players, I know the game; and none of the other applicants for the position do.

Importantly, he agrees with me that a drastic change in management would be very detrimental to our groups morale and productivity. Also, he knows that my guys want me to be their manager, and so do the other managers in the division (well... except for the two who actually applied for the job as well. Good guys, but I don't think they are the right choice)

The only negative factors are that I've technically only been a full time employee for a year and a half (I was a contractor for two and a half years before that); and the fact that I am VERY effective at my current job, and losing most of my time to management rather than being the lead architect I am now, would reduce the effectiveness of our team somewhat. Basically it's a little harder to promote me because he really needs me doing the job I'm doing. But we talked about that as well, and I think we've got a good solution for it.

So, I'm very confident in my chances. I should know in about two weeks.

Of life, and Death, and Music

I finally found a a YouTube video of this piece that I like. It is one of my favorite pieces of music, and I thought I would share it with you, and the story that goes along with it.

This one is going to get a bit esoteric, so if you have no interest, just listen to the pretty music.

Oh and all you folklore nuts, or gaelic nuts, I'm trying to render all these spellings, in english, and without using the extended character sets. Yes, they're going to be messed up, but I'm doing the best I can under those conditions, so don't nitpick.

Moving on...

"Sidhe Bheag an Sidhe Mhor", also rendered as "Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór", or phonetically as Sheebeg Sheemore (Gaelic accenting and pronunciation doesn't work well with English spelling), is an Irish lament; originally composed for Harp, by the great Irish harper and composer, Turlogh O'Carolan.

The piece refers to a battle in an oak grove between two hills, between two groups of the folk who live underhill, or "sidhe".

This is where things get a little more complicated. Most folks just say "it's about elves" and leave it at that, but there are no "elves" in celtic legend. In fact, the whole concept of elves is originally a Norse/German/Scandanvian thing.

It was Tolkien (himself a great student of celtic legend) who conflated the sidhe, with the elves, in popular culture. Prior to Tolkien, the popular culture (what of it there was. Tolkien essentially created the modern concept of elves) would have referred to them as the Fae, the Faerie, (both of which mean "fated ones") or the "Fair Folk" (which itself was actually an english corruption of Fae, taken because it had a double meaning, in that the Fae were pretty).

You may have heard sidhe referred to as "fairy mounds", and often the folk are themselves referred to as Sidhe, because they live underhill.

Underhill is the world of the folk; fair, dark, and dusky; of celtic legend. It is the realm under the fairy mounds, where magic rules; and time, and the physical laws of the mortal world do not apply... or at least not in the same way.

Some refer to the sidhe as elves, but that is both inaccurate (as I said above), and incomplete; because the folk underhill comprise dozens of different types, not just the fair folk.

If you think that the phonetics of it are similar to "Banshee", you're right. A Banshee is more properly referred to as a "Bean Sidhe", which simply means "a woman who lives underhill"; but obviously has taken on a more sinister aspect in legend.

In this case, O'Carolan is specifically writing of what most people think of as elves, but who the legends call the Tuatha De' Danaan (or the "children of Danae"), the Aes Sidhe (meaning the "high people who live underhil") or the "daoine sidhe" (meaning the "fair folk who live underhill"); but also of their allies, the other sidhe (the dark and dusky).

The "fair" are the Tuatha de' Danaan, who resemble humans, but are not. The others (their allies), are the "dark" and the "dusky"; those who live underhill, but are not as attractive or as ... evolved perhaps... as the fair folk. Peoples like the goblins, brownies, pixies, trolls, bogarts, etc...

The Tuatha De' Danaan split themselves into two courts. The courts are further divided into high, which consists of the daoine sidhe; and low, which consists of all the other folk underhill who ally themselves with the courts; as well as those of the lesser Fae, who are too weak in magic to sustain themselves, and must be tied to others, or to a place or source of magic.

On one side, are the "court of light", the "summer court", the "court of life". In some stories they are called "the blessed" or "Seleigh" (in Scots Gaelic spelled "seelie").

On the other side are the "court of darkness",  the "winter court", or "court of death", "court of the moon" "the court of chaos". They are also called the "the forsaken" (or the un-blessed), or the "Unseleigh".

Just because they are called life and death, or light and dark however, don't presume that that means they are "good and bad".

In the legends, the fae breed and age very slowly. They cannot replace their numbers lost with new as we can. They have magic and we do not, but our cold iron destroys their magic, and they die at its touch.

As humans our numbers, and our cold iron, drove the fae underhill in the first place; and they are ALL resentful of it. The Sidhe of legend may look fair; but they are not humans, nor do they have our interests at heart. Both light and dark use and abuse us, as well as give us great gifts. Both light and dark trick us or treat us. We are apart from them. However, the light, in general, have more scruple about permanent damage, and undue suffering. They do not generally make war on humanity, while the dark see us as... fair game.

The song relies on multiple meanings in pronunciation, for its title and part of its meaning. Literally, the title as "Si' Beag, Si' Mhor", would mean "Little Hill, Big Hill"; but because of the multiple meanings, cultural context, and shadings of pronunciation it can also be rendered as "Sidhe Beathe and Sidhe Mhorgh".

Beathe means "life". Mhorgh or Mhoragh (and again, the spelling here is impossible to transliterate) can mean several things including: spirtual darkness, wickedness, chaos, or temptation; "mean woman", "evil woman"; or a "woman of strife" "woman of war" or "woman of chaos" (one side of the battle are ruled by an "evil" queen).

A revelatory aside: Morag is also a traditional womans name in Scotland; and yes, it retains the original meaning(s). Tells you a lot about the Scots eh?

In this case, the title refers to the two courts of the fae, at war with each other.

The courts are at war for many reasons; but this battle in particular is about the status of the world outside of underhill, in particular over an oak grove.

In legends, there are magical oak groves, that can act as a font of power, or a focal point for forming a new realm underhill, and a foucs and source of power for the lesser fae to sustain their magic.

In the legend, the light court want the grove to remain as it is, unused. The dark court wish to take it for themselves, and create a new stronghold and bind lesser fae to it, which would increase their power, and better their position in the war.

The courts gathered at moonrise, high and low, light and dark. Some say they fought for three days, some just one; the light court faltering in the moonlight, and the dark faltering in the sun.

At dawn on the third day (or perhaps just at dawn), the light court drove the dark court from the field; the grove spared, but scarred, unusable for centuries; many dead from both courts on the ground.

The song, is the lament of the Seliegh bard, as they gather up their dead and wounded. He knows the Sidhe are dying out, and cannot last forever; that in fact this battle killed many more of their number than would have otherwise died in centuries... but he cannot weep for it with great passion. He is so old, and has seen so much, that he can only feel a kind of gentle melancholy, as they die.

I don't know about you, but knowing whats behind the song, changes it completely. It has a different depth, and feeling for me than had I not known.

Oh, and if you notice the similarity between this piece, and "Ashokan Farewell" (the theme from Ken Burns "civil war"), that is deliberate.

Traditional American folk music is largely Scots and Irish folk music (mostly harp, fiddle, pipe, and whistle) transposed to the fiddle, banjo, and guitar.

The composer of "Ashokan Farewell", Jay Ungar, wanted to compose a traditional American folk song, in waltz meter, in the style of a traditional Scottish lament; and certainly could not help but have been influenced by O'Carolan (as several of his pieces have been).

...and so proceed ad infinitum

"The Vermin only teaze and pinch Their Foes superior by an Inch. So Nat'ralists observe, a Flea Hath smaller Fleas that on him prey, And these have smaller Fleas to bite 'em, And so proceed ad infinitum"

--Jonathan Swift

My regular readers might have noted, that I've been oddly silent on various issues lately. I haven't commented on the many abuses of the Obama administration; or the general political crap going on right now. I havent talked about Obamacare.. or really anything about politics in weeks.

There's a simple reason for that: I've already said it all. These are all just the same collectivist, authoritarian, evil fantasy ideology over and over again.

Each abuse, each bit of stupidity, each bootheel... they've all sprung from the same source; and I've spent the better part of the past five years denouncing that source, at great length, and varying degrees of vituperation.

Simply put, I've said it before, and doing so again would be redundant.... and frankly I'm tired of saying "I told you so"... and really, I'm just tired.

Not if everyone else is doing it too

They Forgot Cuddly...

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Common Computer Question

"how do I get a computer without all the crap that they usually install on them?"

Common question, with multiple answers.

Some of the vendors, as well as some retailers, offer crapware reduced (none are completely crap free) PCs. The specialized gaming vendors, and Apple all put minimal crap on their systems.

Personally I prefer buying OEM hardware, and my own OS and installing myself. You can buy OEM machines whole, or in parts (even laptops) from various vendors online; and get decent pricing on "system builders" OEM versions of windows.... Or you can install Linux, BSD, or Hackintosh the thing if you so choose(and I frequently do).

Of course, one of the advantages (if you want to call it that) of buying standard hardware, is that every major vendor PC (unless specifically ordered with linux or without an OS;and some vendors do allow you to do so) will come with a windows license. That means you can reinstall windows (on that machine only of course) as much as you want.

If you're stuck with a stock major vendor laptop (a common situation), and you don't already have an OEM windows install disk (everyone should keep a couple around), and don't want to download one off the net (completely legal as long as you have a license, but Microsoft doesn't like it, and there's always the risk of malware); contact the manufacturer and insist on a windows install disk, not just a factory restore disk (or at least a way to use the factory restore disk to install clean).

They may charge you $40 for it (they are allowed to charge a "reasonable fee" for media. Most have settled on something around $40) but vendors are required by the windows license to make a method of windows install (other than "factory restore") available to you.

Of course as I said, that may be an option on the factory restore disk; or it may be a hidden partition on the hard drive that you can burn a CD from, so don't wipe the drive until you're sure.

Once you have your install media, you can (and I think, generally should) wipe the thing, and reinstall clean. Before you do though, make sure you have the video, sound, wireless, ethernet, and mouse drivers, just in case. The latest couple versions of windows are pretty good about driver detection and installation, but by no means perfect.

Or you could just buy a Mac, or run Linux in the first place...

Cute Overload in Puppy Form

Today is Jayne's second birthday. We can't believe he's already two.

He's been moping around the house since Mac died in a semi-depressive funk. Of course, so have we.

On top of this I, Mel, experienced EXTREME baby envy. Oh-my-god-why-aren't-you-pregnant-now baby envy. My biological clock did not start ticking, it started throwing fireworks. This is in part due to daughter the younger starting kindergarten in another week, and part due to Jayne's entry into full doggy adulthood.

To say that God put me on this earth to be a mommy is a COMPLETE understatement. Not just a mommy; a caretaker, a nurturer, a person who helps things grow. I feel empty without something to baby and nurture.

So Jayne spent his week in a funk, and I spent my week in absolute longing for something warm and baby-like. We can't have a human baby yet, and we don't want to have a baby and a puppy in the household at the same time, and a puppy is kind of like a baby...

Chris is way too tolerant of our tendencies for his own good.



This is Zoe. She is a Rottweiler/Coonhound mix and approximately 8 weeks old.

I found her through a craigslist ad posted today, along with her 10 littermates. We looked at the entire litter and she was THE ONE. She came right up to us and investigated. When I picked her up she nuzzle into my hair and didn't want to be let go. I handed her to Chris and she hasn't left his presence since.



She's about 3 lbs and a nice reddish fawn. She's incredibly inquisitive, intelligent, and submissive. She's definitely not an Alpha, which is good because we have enough of those running around. She's also VERY cuddly, and likes to play this game called "groom Chris's beard". Best of all, she's very quiet and even-tempered, without being fearful (this dog and fear do NOT go together).

We were a little worried about how Jayne would take to her, but he handled the situation very well. He's not showing any jealousy, just curiosity in his new housemate. He's already trying to play with her. She's already figured out she's Beta so we don't have any of the usual jockeying for position and thus we have peace in the household.

Of course she's a little tired from the day's activities.



When I came home from grocery shopping I found Chris asleep and her curled up at his feet. I think we've made a good choice.

Mel

We have to cater for the wilder elements in our society

Scalzi tweets

@Scalzi:"It occurs to me I really don't know how to tell when blue cheese goes bad."

Does anyone? That would rather be the point of the thing wouldn't is.

It brings to mind Lenny Henrys (as Gareth Blackstock in "Chef!") classic rant on the subject.

Lots to say, too damn tired to say it

It's been a rough few weeks in particular. The stress of work and life has been a bit much for the past few months. Hell, the last few years or so haven't exactly been a picnic.

I'm starting to get a little snippy with people, and my work efficiency is falling off.

I need a real honest to god vacation so bad, it aint even funny. The last real vacation I had (not a 4 day road trip, or long weekend. An honest to god rest and relaxation vacation) was...

Umm...

Well I had a five day road trip in 2003 with a long weekend in Bryce canyon... But I'm not sure that qualifies...

The last real "more than 5 days not either working, looking for work, moving, driving, or visiting relatives" vacation I took was in 1997.

Yaknow how many days I took off TOTAL last year? Five, of which three were for the Gun Blogger Rendezvous

How about 2007? 2, and those were for the Gun Blogger Rendezvous as well.

2006? 7, but 4 of those were because I was so sick I couldn't stand, and two of them were on a road trip to Dallas.

I have 30 days of paid vacation time this year. It's August in two days. Yaknow how many days off I've taken off so far this year? 3, plus one for Jury Duty.

Yeah, I'm gonna be over my maximum carryover days this year, no doubt. They let me carry over five days, and in order to get down to that I'mna need to take a week at thanksgiving and two weeks at Christmas and New Years.

I'm just not generally a vacation sort of guy. The things I like to do are either competitive activities, things that almost kill you, or "absolutely nothing whatsoever". I haven't had the time or money for much of the first two in quite a while, and the third... Not hapnin so much lately.

So, the wife and I are actually going and taking a whole week plus a bit; and we're taking a real vacation, right around labor day.

We're going to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous IV in Reno from September 10th, through the 13th. Now that's fun, but that's not a vacation. But... We're driving up and back, since we don't want to deal with the hassle and risk of guns and airlines... and Reno is 60 miles from Tahoe....

So we decided to take the whole week before the GBR, and have a real vacation. On a lake. Actual deep water; which I grew up on, and lived on for more than half my life; and have been missing ever since I moved back to Arizona in 2003.

We managed to find a south Tahoe vacation rental cabin, in a small gated vacation community on the Nevada side, for considerably less than the cost of a hotel room (after the ridiculous -18% room tax alone- taxes and fees etc... about half the cost actually). I even managed to get a guy in their private marina rent me his boat for a couple days at WAY below regular rates (as in 80% below).

Can we afford it? Not really, no... but we'll make it work.

All up, we're getting five days of real vacation, with a house and a boat; at the off season rates plus discount (bad economy this year means fewer vacationers, means bigger discounts); for less than the cost of a hotel room in Tahoe alone would have been. Oh and no expensive hotel breakfasts and lunches... and we can eat in or out for dinner as we choose.

Now THAT, is a real vacation. Five weeks... can't wait.

Somehow, I don't think...

That the results of this encounter would be quite what one would want... or certainly what was in the video.

I'd say that the Brinks... uhhh Broadview... system would be about as effective in dealing with "The Ex", as say.. oh... a typical restraining order perhaps?

It's called A GUN. Get one. Learn how to use it. Mentally prepare yourself to do so. Refuse to be a victim.

As several people have pointed out in comments (I couldnt find it last night or would have posted it already), "Bethany" has a much better response to the situation:

Last Waltz

Yesterday, we put Mac down. One of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. I've been through it before, it never gets any easier.

It was the best thing to do. He was never going to quit his post, but he couldn't stand the duty any more. It was time for him to move on, while he still had his dignity.

The night before, we let him sleep with us in the bed the last time... He couldn't get up with us, I had to pick him up and carry him onto the bed.

The next day, he took a real walk for the first time in a long time... got to do his thing in new territory, sniff away and pull me around the place. I had to carry him into the car, but he was still strong once he didn't have to flex those joints too bad.

He had a good day... maybe a great day. He went out happy.

Here's our last pictures with him:



He was a happy, strong, smart, loyal, and loving dog. My home is less alive without him. I've never had a better friend. I miss him more than I can say.

And that is the last I'm going to say about this here.

Why I Stay on Blogspot

I was recently asked why I still stay on blogspot. It isn't from lack of knowledge, or opportunity. I admin 20 someodd other websites, and own several dozen domains.

It's because you can't DOS Google.

I get DOS'd a few times a year, and Google pretty much shrugs.

If I put my blog on my own hosting account, it'd hit bandwidth limits and get knocked offline a few times a year, causing me hassle and costing me money.

So, for now, I stay on Blogspot.

Losing family

Sometimes things work out like you hope, sometimes they don't.

This time, they won't be.

Tomorrow, after work, we're going to go have Mac put down.

The solution we worked out isn't going to happen. He started snapping at people for no reason, trying to defend himself against attacks that aren't there... It's time.

God I wish I didn't have to do it. I wish he could be young again... or at least not so old, or in so much pain.

The supplements kept him around and happy a whole year after we thought this was coming, so we're thankful for that. Every day with him has been a gift.

If you ever want proof that god loves us; he gave us dogs to be our companions.

Goddam....I'm crying as I write this... and I hav to work dammit...

I've had this conversation recently...

Fucked up week

So....


My mother had another stroke a few days ago. She's not doing well. She's got, maybe, a few weeks left; unless there's another miracle (frankly it's a miracle she's alive at all).

Thing is, she's been lying to my family about it for a long time, and now they're all shocked, and backlashing against me... and meanwhile my brother is in total denial...

Just a not good situation.

We thought we were going to have to put Mac down. I'm not going to get into it, but we've found anther solution, where hopefully he'll be happy until he finally goes.

I'm going to miss him like I can't tell you.This is the dog that helped me raise my kids right. I have never had a better dog in my life. No dog could ever replace him; at best they could stand beside him.

The wife wants a new puppy right away... I'm not going to do it until he passes. It wouldn't be right.

Yesterday, I got an eye infection. It seems that some dust with something I was allergic too blew into my eye. The left side of my face puffed up like a blowfish.

It's nothing serious, but flushing out didn't get all of it so I've got to wait for it to weep out. I couldn't manage to fall asleep until 6am from the irritation, then when I woke up at 7:30 my eye was glued shut. The medication for the allergic reaction is reducing the swelling, but it's knocking me out too. I'v e spent half the day half knocked out.

I'm taking the rest of the damn week off.

Surprisingly...

Sugar free Hawaiian Punch doesn't suck.

It's not great, but it's better than most sugar free "fruit punch" out there.

Crystal Lights sugar free lemonades are pretty good as well. Their iced tea is mediocre.

Arizona sugar free iced tea mix is STRONG, but overly sweet. It needs added lemon juice.

That is all.

It's always seemed ironic to me...

That "Eine Kleine, Nachtmusik", was actually great music to wake up to. Among my favorites in fact.

The "Secret" to good coffee...

Is that there is no secret.

I've written this before, but it's come up again recently so I thought I'd go over it one more time.

As far as I'm concerned there's no actual secret to good coffee; just chemistry, and learning how not to screw it up.

Good coffee is made with good water, in good properly roasted beans, at the right temperature, for the right amount of time. That's it.

Coffee is one of those things that's simple, though simple, doesn't necessarily mean easy.

Coffee beans are EXTREMELY sensitive to temperature, moisture, and PH. They have a lot of volatile organic compounds that react with these different elements. Too little, and you don't get the flavor out. Too much and you either burn the flavors out, or leech out flavors you don't want.

So, what exactly does good water, in good beans, for the right amount of time etc... mean?

Well, how about I share some tricks with you.

1. Make your bean, roast, and grind, fit your brew, and brew method. There is no perfect bean, perfect roast, or perfect grind. Each type of coffee (everyone has something they like, or don't like) and each brewing method, requires a different roast and a different grind.
   
   
2. Use filtered water, not distilled. Distilling water removes all the trace elements and dissolved solids that give it character and flavor, making it taste flat. Filtering gets rid of chlorine (which absolutely ruins coffee), sediments, and most of the excess mineral content; but leaves enough minerals for the water not to taste flat.
   
   If you must use distilled and it does taste flat; put a half teaspoon of sugar, a half teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of baking soda in each gallon, and dissolve them thoroughly before brewing. That will "wake up" your water.
   
   Also, a TINY bit of vinegar, or lemon juice, in the water produces a slightly better cup of coffee. Call it a drop per cup. Lowering the PH just a bit helps in the extraction, and helps disperse the oils.
   
   
3. A pinch of salt per cup added to the grounds makes a MUCH better cup. Again, it helps in extraction and dispersing the oils. It also acts to enhance your tastebuds perceptions of other flavors.
   
   
4. The best results are with beans roasted 7 days or less before you brew. Some beans are great just after roasting and cooling (never grind while beans are still warm); some require anywhere from 12 hours to 5 days of resting before achieving peak flavor.
   
   There are local roasters almost everywhere these days, but it may not be convenient to use them. If you have to get prepackaged beans, make sure they are vacuum packed, and the roast date is no more than 6 months before you intend to use them.
   
   If, god forbid, you use preground coffee; you can significantly improve it by simply regrinding it for a few seconds just before brewing. It breaks up the surface of the grounds, allowing more essential oils to express. Obviously this only works with relatively coarse grounds (chock full'o'nuts and Yuban are quite coarse. Maxwell house is finer).
   
   In any event, you should grind just before you brew, or at most a few hours before (the night before to preprogram your machine for the morning let's say). Otherwise some of those volatile oils will evaporate off, leaving you with less flavor.
   
   
5. Two level tablespoons of medium-fine grounds per 6oz water is ideal for any immersion brew (including automatic drip machines); but will produce a very strong and robust brew from all but the thinnest of coffees.
   
   Reduce the amount slightly to 2 tablespoons per 8oz for a slightly less strong brew; but don't reduce to below 1tblsp for every 6oz.
   
   
6. If using an auto drip machine, pre wet the grounds with a spray mist of tepid or cold water before hand, and you'll get more even extraction.
   
   
7. Never brew at above 208 degrees, or below 190 degrees Fahrenheit; unless you are cold brewing.
   
   Unfortunately the average coffee maker barely hits 190 degrees at the showerhead. You need a high end commercial machine, or a machine like a Technivorm, which will get the water to 205, but NOT to burn the coffee on the warming plate (actually, some Technivorms don't even have a warming plate).
   
   The best way to guarantee proper temperature water is with a french press, or a pour over filter; preferably decanted immediately after brewing (or brewing directly into) into your cup, or a thermal carafe.
   
   
8. Never immersion brew for less than about 2.5 minutes, or more than about 4.5 minutes actual extraction time. You don't get the full flavor with less than 2 minutes immersion. After around 4 minutes at heat, the oils start to become unpleasant tasting, and more tannins are leeched out of the ground beans.
   
   
9. If you're going to apply any kind of warming, make sure it's below 160 degrees, and for no more than 15 minutes after brewing. Any hotter, or longer, and the oils will start to go rancid.
   
   
10. If you want good coffee from a noncommercial machine, run a bare water cycle through first; then when the machine is heat soaked, run a brew cycle. Never brew with hot water though, as it can contain more dissolved sediments that can ruin your coffee.
    

Honestly, you don't have to be so fussy. Just remember brew about 2tblsp per cup, of a medium ground coffee, at between 190 and 208 degrees, for between 2.5 and 4.5 minutes, using filtered water.

The rest, that's optional, or to compensate for problems, or to really get that last bit of flavor etc... etc... Just plain good coffee, that's simple.