Because that’s where Jack Holladay lives. What a cool name. Like a combination between Jack Slater (Professional Action Hero) and Doc Holliday (The Famous Dentist).

But it takes more than a name to justify crossing into sovereign Texas soil! If only there was some kind of list… oh, here it is:

• Jack Holladay, MD is a surgeon. Lasik surgeon.

• He is an engineer.
• He is a physician.
• He is a teacher to other surgeons.
• He has written books on eye surgery.
• He has been published many, many times in medical journals.
• He was the president of various ophthalmology organizations.
• He advises the manufacturers of certain medical devices.
• He has won various honors and awards.
• He is certified by USAEyes, a nonprofit Lasik patient advocacy group.
• He was “acknowledged in 2002-2003 as one of the ‘Best Doctors in America.’”
• Inside Houston Magazine recognized him as one of the “Top Doctors In Houston.”

In Houston, he’s in the top. In America, he’s among the best. With Lasik, he’s a pro. It’s all good! So if you want Lasik, you could go with some Dr. Nick, or you could go to Texas.

I used to hate "King of the Hill." I thought it was boring. But recently I find myself watching and enjoying the antics of conspiracy theorist Dale Gribble, as well as the morally upright views and actions of Hank Hill. Am I getting old?

In the past, I'd seen a lesser version of Hank in an episode of "Beavis and Butt-head." I didn't really watch that show, but from what I could tell the Hank Hill character was too stodgy, too strict, and too old-fashioned. I don't know if the creator lessened those qualities in the Hank depicted in "King of the Hill," or if he simply rounded out the character with other aspects to humanize him. Whatever the reason, I now think a lot of what Hank says makes sense.

At first, I thought he was ironically referencing many facets of American life, especially when he'd say stuff like, "Now that's a quality product." But now I find myself agreeing with him fairly often, even while taking his statements at their literal value. Like recently when he said, "Like I always say, if you plan ahead, then when things happen you're prepared." I first thought it was a bit wordy for a motto, but it is a highly useful idea. Too often we tend to overlook many small values and tricks that make life so much easier. It seems like Hank is more of a hero because he takes many of those ideas to heart, and lives by them.

That would be so cool. Well, probably very stressful too, especially now with the U.S. dollar going down the toilet. But still, to be in charge of a behemoth, a Cash Machine, that would be pretty neat. And complex!

With technology changing so rapidly, you’ve got to stay on the edge. I just read somewhere that Japan wants to or will ban file sharers. Someone commented that the situation might force most users to upgrade to military-level anonymity. That’s crazy. But everyone’s got to stay secure, no matter what their situation.

I found out that Pragma Systems has been keeping Fortune 500 companies secure for 16 years. They build and adapt networking software, focusing on the telnet and ssh space. IBM’s a customer. So is… Coca Cola! And Intel, Sony, Target, HP, etc. etc. etc. They’ve got their act together. Great customer service I’m told. HQ in Texas. Don’t mess with Texas!

Basically Pragma makes its money by ensuring the security, scalability, reliability, and speed of telnet and ssh connectivity for major corporations. And of course, they cover Secured File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Sounds good…