Monday, May 18, 2009

Boulder Pledge: Target

I thought they were one of the good guys. I was treated rudely at the food avenue a couple of weeks ago, and I sent complaint through the web form. I got the auto-ack from them where they basically they were dev/null’ing my complaint, which isn’t good. And then this showed up in my inbox today:

<quote>

From - Mon May 18 13:46:40 2009
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Delivered-To: xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx Received: by 10.100.92.6 with SMTP id p6cs263816anb;
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Received: from bigfootinteractive.com (arm147.bigfootinteractive.com [206.132.3.147])
        by mx.google.com with SMTP id 6si9713764ywn.37.2009.05.18.11.15.27;
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Reply-To: =?iso-8859-1?B?VGFyZ2V0LmNvbQ==?= <TargetNews.uselesstrackingcode@target.bfi0.com>
Bounces_to: TargetNews@target.bfi0.com
Message-ID: <uselesstrackingcode0.1655.13535.pimailer83.DumpShot.1@target.bfi0.com>
X-BFI: uselesstrackingcode
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 14:13:31 EDT
From: =?iso-8859-1?B?VGFyZ2V0LmNvbQ==?= <TargetNews@target.bfi0.com>
Subject: =?iso-8859-1?B?V2VsY29tZSB0byBUYXJnZXQuY29tIQ==?= 
To: xxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
  boundary="ABCD-uselesstrackingcode
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Target(R) =


Add Target (targetnews@target.bfi0.com) to your address book to ensure co=
mplete delivery. Learn more:
http://target.bfi0.com/uselesstrackingcode

-------------------
THE FIRST WORD ON FABULOUS SAVINGS
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Every week, you'll be the first to find out about our hottest deals and b=
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9_02_22/patio_and_garden.gif" width=3D"87" height=3D"30" border=3D"0" alt=
=3D"Patio + Garden"></a></td>				=

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9_02_22/furniture.gif" width=3D"57" height=3D"30" border=3D"0" alt=3D"Fur=
niture"></a></td>
				  <td valign=3D"top"><a href=3D"http://target.bfi0.com/uselesstrackingcode"><img src=3D"http://targetimages.bfi0.com/common/nav/200=
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<table width=3D"570" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" ali=
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		<tr>
			<td><a href=3D"http://target.bfi0.com/uselesstrackingcode">=
<img src=3D"http://targetimages.bfi0.com/tgt/2009_02_01/welcome/main.jpg"=
 alt=3D"The first word on fabulous savings. Thanks for signing up for Tar=
get.com e-mail updates. Every week, you'll be the first to find out about=
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pons. Shop Target.com." width=3D"570" height=3D"302" border=3D"0"></a></t=
d>
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			<td><a href=3D"http://target.bfi0.com/uselesstrackingcode">=
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dress book to ensure complete delivery. Find Out How." width=3D"570" heig=
ht=3D"98" border=3D"0"></a></td>
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</tr>
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<table width=3D"570" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" ali=
gn=3D"center">
	=

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img src=3D"http://targetimages.bfi0.com/common/footer_2009_01/find_store.=
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d>
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lt=3D"Help" width=3D"45" height=3D"27" border=3D"0"></a></td>
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if" alt=3D"GiftCards" width=3D"78" height=3D"27" border=3D"0"></a></td>
		<td><a href=3D"http://target.bfi0.com/uselesstrackingcode"><=
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=2Egif" alt=3D"Gift Giving" width=3D"81" height=3D"27" border=3D"0" /></a=
></td>
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img src=3D"http://targetimages.bfi0.com/common/footer_2009_01/gift_regist=
ries.gif" alt=3D"Gift Registries" width=3D"106" height=3D"27" border=3D"0=
"></a></td>	=

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img src=3D"http://targetimages.bfi0.com/common/footer_2009_01/target_list=
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<td width=3D"10" align=3D"right">&nbsp;</td>
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--ABCD-W0TH05EE919D1E2B6CDBD2C2548580-EFGH--


</quote>



Needless to say, I’m taking the Boulder Pledge on Target, and I will never shop there again. Period. It’s one thing to be rude to your costumers. It’s another thing to spam them.



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Saturday, May 16, 2009

One of the definitions of Happiness…

Is a warm, sunny weekend. Too bad I have to go to work. At least SoundTransit still has AC'ed buses…
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Thursday, May 07, 2009

Under way & wireless….

I knew this day would come.  When my brother and I moved in to our current apartment, it was decided that there would be no more snaking Ethernet cable through the house.  His brand new computer had wi-fi already installed on it, so it wasn’t that difficult to persuade him to get a wireless router.  Originally, the cable modem was in my room on my outlet, but eventually we started having problems with signal (something about two digital boxes and one modem on one outlet…). SO the modem had to go to the other outlet in the living room. And just in time, I finally get my wi-fi card working….

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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

I’ve always said

Give me Guinness or give me death.

My roommate/younger brother had a six pack of Corona in the fridge, and I finally broke down and tried one.  Tasted like crap.  I tried a Fosters @ my nephew’s birthday. Again, tasted like piddle.  The same with O’Douls.  Then I realized they were all lagers. SO I decided to try Guinness, a stout.

Tonight, I tried Guinness for the first time.  To me, all beer tastes the same.  It all tastes like urine.  This is why I don’t drink.  I just don’t like it….

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Happy Cinco De Mayo, people

It’s Cinco De Mayo today.  If I understand it, it’s a day when the French Foreign Legion got defeated by by a band of Mexicans. In a war which the Mexicans eventually lost. But I”m no authority on that matter, and if you can read this than you’ve probably have sufficient internet access to look it up yourself. They say that Americans celebrate even more than Mexicans.

But I know how I’m going to celebrate it. I got Guinness…

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Friday, May 01, 2009

What a wonderful Sunny Day…

And I have to work. Taken from the 512 park & ride. For some reason the weather is always sunnier on the days that I have to work. Must be a conspiracy on the part of my boss & Jeff Renner...
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Thursday, April 30, 2009

Third time’s a charm

I hope at least.  The one thing I’ve realized is that nothing ever goes the way you plan it.  I decided very recently to wipe and reinstall everything on my computer (I know of no virus that can survive a ‘format C:’ command).  But usually what happens is it takes me mulptiple tries to get it right.  On my old computer, most of those tries usually were involving me going really Old Skool and trying to put Windows ME on my machine when I usually absolutely no reason to…).  In the past 36 hours I’ve wiped and reinstalled Windows XP 3 times.  And I think I’ve just got it right this time (at least I made it past the windows update stage.  400 megabytes, not including Office, which had been done separately…)

But on the bright side, since this was a new version of windows that came with this computer, I can still activate over the internet (my previous copy had been activated so many times from my misadventures, that I had to call The Anti-Christ everytime to activate it.  My opinions of Microsoft aside, Indians are really nice people.).

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

It used to be

It used to be that I'd be able to fit everything in my computer on CD-ROM. Then I got a DVD burner, and I then did all my back-ups to DVD. Now, I don't have the patience (or the DVDs). Now, I'm using my two spare hard drives for back-ups. It took some rearranging of my computer hardware (mainly moving drives around so I don't have to fight cables…). The main advantage to this is it's a lot quicker to write to a hard drive than it is to a DVD/CD, and you don't need special software to use a hard drive. And the fact that a 160 gig hard drive has slightly more space than a 4.7 gig DVD may also prove to be a slight advantage...
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There's something wrong with me…

I'm watching the Mariners game. Of my own free will. And I'm enjoying it. The New World Order (Mind-Control Division) must be employing new methods. Or maybe, my AFDB just needs replacement. Having said that, the Mariners are kicking some serious ass this year. It could be for many reasons. I personally think it's just they're healthy this year, and they're playing for the team, not for their egos. And how's about them Sounders FC? It is possible to best them. You just need to give the goalie a red card first…

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Always remember people:

Don’t eat you shrimp cocktail without singing the Banana Boat song first:

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Aw Fudge!

I bought my new computer last December.  And I’ve been able to go this long without wiping it.  But I may have to. Firefox is acting up of late.  Maybe I’ll just rebuild the profile later.  I got the computer working the way I want it to, and I don’t quite have the time anymore to spend reinstalling everything… At least it’s not the fault of The Anti-Christ. At least not yet…

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Monday, April 20, 2009

One of the better things in life…

Is a nice sunny day. On my day off even. A very rare event indeed.
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

It's that time of year

It's April 15 today. The day we all render unto Ceasar. I originally thought of filing an extension this year mainly because my tax forms were at home, and my W-2s were at work, but I decided to come in way too early and file them. As bad as a reputation the IRS has, the late payment interest is actually less than the average credit card. And in all my dealings with them, well let's just say that I've deal with worse creditors.....

As for the rest of the story, I'll invoke the fifth for now...
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Thursday, April 09, 2009

For Scott Gaines….

If you’re not Scott from Pierce Transit, then disregard this post. Or you can read it, too.

  • Making transfers and connections would be a lot easier if your drivers would actually be on their buses at the scheduled departure times. Some of your passengers’ employers don’t tolerate excuses. And neither do some of your passengers.
  • When somebody makes a complaint, and you take more than 48 hours to follow-up on it, then don’t bother with it. You might as well dev/null it. If the driver has to kick off a passenger, and then she stays there to continue arguing because she has to get the final point across, then she can also call ahead to make the other connections hold…
  • Having functional wheelchair lifts on your buses does wonders with regards to on time arrivals/departures.

There is no difference between incompetence and malice. Excuses are not tolerated. Only results. If you think I complain too much, then Pierce Transit ought to try something new with its job: Doing It.

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Monday, April 06, 2009

A bit of advice

One of the stores next to my $day-job asked to look at one of their computers.  Apparently, they told me, it had a whole load of virii.  I get to the laptop, and notice no virus activity.  What caught my eye was the fact that there were three anti-virus programs.  So I immediately uninstall 2 out of the 3 programs (and yes, I took Norton off.  When it comes to crappy, half-assed software, Symantec is even worse than The Anti-Christ). That’s all I did. nd ti improved performance dramatically. I was amazed it would even boot up….

Moral of the story: Choose your AV wisely, because whatever choice you make, you can only install one. Because if you call me to fix it, I will charge you for it. And it won’t be cheap. Learn quickly, or part with your brass….

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UFO sighting

All over the Puget Sound region, there was a UFO in the sky.  I saw it myself.  Everyone has seen it.  But it wasn’t in the news. I could best describe it as a bright yellow ball that travelled through the sky slowly.  It took literally all day to cross the sky. I’m surprised nobody noticed it, or raised a commotion…

Now is the time to start panicking…

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A good start

No, I have died. But I do have a Real Life, and I can’t get to my computer as often as I’d like to.

The Mariners won 6-1 today.  And Griffey resumed what he was doing when he left: hitting the long ball.  It’s a good start.  Maybe they won’t go for over 100 losses this year like they did last year. Although being The New World Order (Mind-Control Division), I would still seriously advise an AFDB, and limiting your exposure.  Fortunately, this year around, we have the Sounders FC, and they are kicking ass.  Nobody has yet to score against them so far….

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Wednesday, April 01, 2009

The spaghetti harvest is in.

And once again it looks like try another bountiful crop. The spaghetti trees in Switzerland were overburdened with the Noodly Goodness this year.

Yes, I suppose I could be a little but more creative with April Fools', but this is a classic, and you can never go wrong with it...
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Iron Man vs Bruce Lee

If you ever wondered who would win in Iron Man Vs. Bruce Lee, wonder no more:

Who would’ve thought that Iron Man is really Frodo and Sam?

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Extreme Sheepherding

Over the weekend, I noticed that YouTube had put out a Windows Mobile application and I downloaded it to my cell phone.  It’s stow low and buggy, but it’s YouTube where I would otherwise not have it…

Anyhow, this is the first video I watched on it:

And so we learn that there ways to have too much time with sheep that don’t involve certain things that will not be discussed in this post…

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

When I say no parking,

I mean no parking!

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We all get old

Aging happens.  Some of us try to deny it.  But we will all get old. You. Me.  Even the Dark Lord Of The Sith. Darth Vader has prostate cancer.  OK, so it’s only the actor who played him, but still Vader’s getting old….

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Shall we dance

The Big Dance is upon us.  Both the Udub and Gonzaga are in.  Historically, both teams have been able to make it to the Sweet 16, and then they choke it.  Maybe they’ll do better this year….

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Fun at work….

Recently at work there was a need to hire someone (only a temp position, just to cover someone who was on an extended vacation).  The first day we had the opening, I got a phone call from someone inquiring about a position. I was sufficiently impressed with this person to go ahead and schedule an interview, and I set the appointment.  On the day of the interview, this person shows up three hours prior, and I give her an application, and again remind her to come at the appointed time.  The appointed time comes and passes, and she no shows.  My rule is you no show an interview, I don’t hire you.  She called me the next day, and I called her our on the no-show, and she just said that it was a miscommunication.  I’ll buy many excuses for missing an interview, upto and including extraterrestrial abduction, but miscommunication is not one of them. I told her I would call her back (a variation of don’t call me, I’ll call you).  Three minutes later she calls me again.  Finally I have to lay down the law, and I tell her that her ship has already left the port.

Today’s lesson, gentles: if you’re really serious about working for me, then show the fuck up for your interview!

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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Welcome to Citibank

Saw this at The Consumerist. Welcome to the new Citibank:

I don’t bank with Citibank, and my credit card with them has been paid off.  But still this hits the nail on the head.

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Monday, March 09, 2009

Not been a good week

Saturday, I got a call that I didn’t want to get.  Bob Brisky, one of my best friends died Wednesday.  He died of lung cancer.  If somebody tells you that tobacco doesn’t kill, they’re full of shit…

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30 Years Old…

It finally turned 30.  It’s the CD.  I was nearly 22 when I finally got my first CD player (what can I say?  I grew up broke, and I had to pay for all my toys myself).  A few years later, I got a stereo with a 51 CD changer.  Then I got my computer and discovered mp3.  But that is the nature of progress…

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Proof once again that the Buffalo Bills are stupid

I was busy last week, so I didn’t get the chance to post an entry about T.O. getting shit-canned.  He may have talent, but there’s an awful lot of drama to go with that talent, and it takes away too much from the game than what he can bring.

Anyway, T.O. is a diva.  But the Buffalo Bills are stupid.  After all, they signed him….

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Monday, March 02, 2009

So little has gone on…

Or so much has happened, and I’m just too lazy to write about it.

  • One of my best friends is dying of lung cancer.  The first round of chemo didn’t work, and he’s too weak for another round.  If anyone tells you that tobacco doesn’t kill, they’re full of shit….
  • TJ Houshmandzadeh is going to sign with the Seahawks.  I’ve never really foolowed him, to be honest.  He just has an interesting name.  May we have more success this year than the past…  And speaking of players with interesting names, we need to sign Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Seahawks do need a good running back…
  • I don’t know if anybody told you, but the economy sucks.  AIG i heard is bleeding $460,000 dollars a minute, Citibank is close to being nationalized, and The Anti-Christ even shit-canned their entire Flight SImulator development team.  The former two, I could care less about, but the latter is going to hurt…
  • My phone bill is going up.  I saw this rumor on The Consumerist, and so I longed on to T-Mobile, and it was true.  For only $10.00 more, I now have unlimited voice.  And that to my unlimited texting, and my total internet access, and my phone bill is not going to be the cheapest.  But, I’m happy with it, and since my cell phone is my only phone, I can justify it.  Besides, it’s still cheaper than when I was on the AT&T Digital One Rate ($110.00 a month for 600 minutes, no internet, no texting….).
  • In 2 1/2 weeks Sounders FC will start their first season.  Yes, I am a soccer fan. It’s not as boring as The New World Order (Mind-Control Division), and I can leave the tin-foil hat behind…  You got to hand to the Mariners.  It does take a considerable effort to have a $100 million payroll, and still have a 100 loss season….
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Oooooh Shit……….

Griffey is coming back….  I don’t know what the Mariners have been smoking, or if The New World Order (Mind-Control Division) itself is high….

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no fan of his.  He’s an ungrateful jack-ass.  The people of King County are burdened with a stadium that he insisted on being built, and yet he spent less than one season here.  I think if they’re going to call Safeco Field the house that Griffey built, then Griffey should pay for it. Personally.

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Nothing to see here. Move along. Again.

This is nothing really. Apparently one can now post straight from one's mobile phone straight to blogger...
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Let’s have some opera!

Just because I can, here’s the entire Ring Cycle.  Slight truncated….

Betcha didn’t know that Elmer Fudd sang Wagner…

Oh, and he also did Rossini too:

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So what’s been happening…

I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth yet.  Real Life sometimes intervenes, and I end up away form my computer.  Or it could be I’m just too farking lazy to click on the icon to fire up windows live writer….. A little bit of column A and a little bit of column b is involved.

Anyway, one of the stores located near my work called me in recently as there computer and a Very Important Piece of hardware wasn’t working (not a printer or a scanner, and what it is/was is irrelevant to the post at hand).  There problem was the drivers and the software were written for Windows XP, but the computer they were using had Windows Vista.  I showed them how to use compatibility mode, and we both agreed that there are two ways to lose money: gambling is the quickest, and upgrading to Vista is the surest…  I just hope that one day The Anti-Christ would put out something that doesn’t suck…

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The latest toy

And I mean it literally.  Someone is designing a Lego cell phone.  I had Legos when I was growing up, and I made all sots of thing, but a functioning cell phone wasn’t one of them…

And in a Lego cell phone isn't your thing, then there’s also the Lego Space Battle cruiser Yamato…

And this was found form somewhere on them intertubes:

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Just a reminder people

I just want to remind people that cocaine/frosted flakes and gunpowder do not mix…
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Monday, February 09, 2009

Don’t try this at home (not that it’s really possible….)

Ok, I watched Star wars growing up.  You shoot laser.  Stuff blows up.  Like a planet, perhaps?  One of the scenes that stuck out in my mind was when they blew up Alderaan.  Anyway, somebody with way too much time on there hands has finally figured out how powerful the Death Star needed to be here.  Don’t let reality get in way of your Science Fiction…..

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Six and a half years later

And I finally beat MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries…  The Anti-Christ actually did a fairly decent job (usually I just play the instant action).  Too bad they cancelled any further versions (I hear they even let go the Flight Sim people during the recent layoffs).  Damn, and this was better than any version of widows, too.

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Spock. Now. You. Can. Try. This. At. Home.

Yep.  It’s the Star Trek Episode Plot Generator.  Pointy ears not included.  And neither is William Shatner’s toupee.  But then again, William Shatner isn’t included, either…

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

A commercial from my youth…

I grew up in a military family (father was in the Army).  We were stationed in Germany, and the only Engrish speaking TV station was run by the Army.  The one good thing about it (and possibly the only good thing) was no commercials.  Then we came stateside, and were able to watch regular TV with commercials.  There was one commercial that stood out in particular, and our friends at The Consumerist have pointed out that it’s on YouTube.

Submitted for your approval.

And surprisingly, Faith No More, does a pretty live cover of it (maybe if they went with this, it would still be available….):

And no, I don’t dig white chocolate.  Hershey’s Special Dark, please.  Thank you.

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A good combination

Zero Wing.  A Sega Genesis game that never sold well in America.  In fact, I don’t think it sold at all.  It was well known for it’s atrocious treatment of the English language.  Don't believe me, see the Wikipedia write-up here.  Anyway, it also goes well with a Brian May guitar solo.  See here:

Isn’t there anything Queen can’t make better?

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Gee, that was quick….

Lately I’ve been having problems with my phone syncing to my computer.  Yes, my phone runs Windows Mobile (so I guess I should that The Anti-Christ for that one), so there’s my problem right there…

Anyway, I decided to clear the phone out tonight, and reinstall everything (this included uninstalling/reinstalling ActiveSync).  On my computer, this would imply at least 2-3 days before I could safely surf the internet, and almost a month before all my software would be reinstalled and I would ‘moved in’ to the computer.  On my phone, I had everything reinstalled in 20 minutes.  It took slightly longer to set my email up, and I still need to tweak the theme.  But what’s going to take the longest time is I have to reload all my music…  And that was what was causing me the problems originally.

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Thursday, January 22, 2009

It was another day off today….

And I did absolutely nothing.  Nada. Zilch.  Jack Shit.  Well I did go to Puyallup today, thinking I would spend the day with one of my brothers, but he had to tend to other business.  Well, it wasn’t a complete waste of a day.  I did get some more software installed in my WinME virtual machine.  I’m beginning to realize that the virtual machine on this computer will get better performance than when I had it installed on my old computer.

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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sheep and Goats

Taxonomically they’re related.  But in religious terms, there’s a difference:

  • Sheep always go to heaven.
  • Goats always go to hell.

Now, let’s have some Cake:

Yes, I know it’s just yet another half-assed excuse to post another music video.  To be honest, I really can’t stand Cake, but this song is an exception.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

RIP Khan

Ricardo Montalban has passed away. Yes, he was Mr. Rourke from Fantasy Island, but I will remember him for his role as Khan in Star Trek 2. He was the best villain ever.  It wasn’t until many years later after first seeing him that I found out he was Mexican.  Even though I only knew him through the villains’ roles he plated, he was still one of my heroes.

He will be missed.

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

My Early Experience With Windows 7

Ok, so I downloaded the beta of Windows 7 from The Anti-Christ earlier today.  Burned it to DVD.  And realizing that I have two physical hard drives in my computer, I gave it a try.  From the time I put the DVD in the drive to desktop was between 30 minutes and an hour (to be honest I wasn’t really keeping time).  From previous experiences (with WinME and WinXP) here are the major differences:

  • Everything is now done from a gui.  Even when you boot off the DVD, you’re greeted by a GUI, which should be a Godsend to the computer-illiterate masses who don’t know how to do anything from a command line.  The Anti-Christ must be borrowing a page from all the major Linux distributions, most (if not all) of whom have had gui based installers for years (Mandriva and SuSE immediately come to mind).
  • Compared to WinXP installation, if you choose install from within windows, all of the major decisions (like which drive/partition to install it to) are made from within windows.  Whereas in previous versions it would just copy the files over, then it would reboot, and you have to navigate through the DOS-like interface, which could be a little bit intimidating if you don’t know what you’re doing…  A little more work on this, and my very much computer illiterate mother would be able to do it.
  • Once you get through the installation, it’s very much like Windows Vista.  The hardware requirements are pretty much the same, so if you’re current box can run Vista, you can run windows 7 with little or no problem.

And the drawbacks:

  • It is still beta software (and that means that it’s not stable).  Of course, the obvious warning not to use this on mission critical computers.
  • Since it’s a beta, not all manufacturers have released hardware drivers yet.  Like my TV card.  And IIRC, there were several components on my computer that they didn’t have drivers for.
  • I’m not all that thrilled with the Aero interface yet.  I may upgrade to Windows 7 when it’s finally released, and learn to love it then.  But then again, I just found the port for the Royal Noir theme (the one that XP Media Center has), and that’s enough eye candy for me.

And my one tidbit of wisdom if you’re dual-booting with 7 and XP, and you just want to go back to XP:

  1. log into XP.
  2. Go to ‘my computer’ and format the drive/partition that 7 was installed on.
  3. If you followed my advice here, then reboot your computer and choose the ‘recovery console’ option.
  4. If, for example, your XP installation is on your C: drive, then at the command prompt, type ‘fixboot C:’.
  5. Reboot again, and you should be back at XP again.

Your mileage my vary…

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Monday, January 12, 2009

I’m watching the Tonight Show right now

And John Melendez is going to get a tonsure.  Not the traditional roman tonsure, but he’s going to get it all shaved off.  It would be far more entertaining for him to get his scalp waxed.  A very slow waxing.  This is why I don’t gamble on national TV…..

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Now you can have a bankruptcy in the diamond business…

When I was growing up, I listened to a lot of radio (hey, no internet, no cable TV, my choices were severely limited).  My best Holiday present ever was a stereo that had a digital tuner (not even a cd player).  Anyway, one of the ads that I still remember from the 20-some odd years of listening were the spots for the Shane Company.  Everything must come to an end.  The Shane Company has filed for bankruptcy.  Maybe they can pull out of it.  Maybe this is the end……

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Mental Note (once again)

When burning DVDs make sure to shutdown the andlinux processes, unless you really want to spend over 40 minutes on one DVD.  The Anti-Christ has released a public beta of Windows 7.  After several tries over the weekend, I finally managed to download it, and burn it to disc.  I’ve finally got the hardware to run it, but I hesitate to install it because my TV card doesn’t have windows vista/7 drivers for it yet, and I do use my computer as my main tv.  And for the first time since knoppix 4.02 was released, I can finally access the internet from knoppix again (funny thing, after 4.02, knoppix stopped recognizing the network card on my old computer).

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Thursday, January 08, 2009

What's this?

With all the rain & flooding we've had here in the Great Pacific NorthWet, it was a total shock to see this strange, blue cloud in the sky today. I don't know what this signifies, but I can say this: EVERYBODY PANIC!
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Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Almost forgot…..

While trying to get Windows ME to install in VirtualBox (gave up after 8 hours.  And I had really high hopes for it too, but that will be another post), it occurred to me what yesterday was.  I almost missed my father’s birthday.  I did call him and wish him a happy birthday, but I thought I’d use my virtual soapbox to say:

Happy Birthday, Dad.

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Monday, January 05, 2009

MySpace, Facebook, Blogger or ???

I’ve had this blog since 2006.  Last September (or August, I can’t remember), I finally got a MySpace page.  Then my boss mentioned facebook, and I got a facebook page.  Some of my friends & relatives like MySpace, but most prefer facebook.  For the most part, I like facebook too, but there are some of my friends who prefer myspace.  The two are good for keeping in touch, but I actually prefer blogger.  I know MySpace has a blogging feature, but I’ve already had my virtual soapbox here set up for almost three years.  And I really don’t like all the pimped & blinged out myspace pages, either.  And don’t get me started on R&B music, either…..

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Going Old Skool. Again….

As I think I’ve said before, my (old) computer came with Windows ME installed on it.  I highly recommend it to clueless newbies.  Then again, it is kind of like learning to swim by jumping straight into the ocean….  Anyhow, after a year of dealing with the Blue Screen Of Death, and various and sundry other problems, I went to Windows XP (you’d think that The Anti-Christ would realize that not doing a Half-Assed Job would be a Good Thing).  For the most part.  I kept trying to dual-boot with ME and XP, or just going with either one of them (even if I was going with one OS, I’d still make sure that I had the hardware drivers and software compatible with the other OS as well).

Well fast forward to my new computer which just has Windows XP Professional.  Installing WinME is not an option.  Then I realized, that: 1. I have XP Pro and 2.  I have a really fast processor and plenty of ram.  I’ve never had any really good experiences with virtual OSes and emulators (mainly because my old computer was slower than the Postal Service).  And when I last tried Virtual PC 2007, it shut down saying I needed XP Professional (I had XP Home at the time).  So I downloaded Virtual PC 2007 and VirtualBox, pulled out my old windows discs, and set to work.  First off, I learned that even though I’m in a virtual environment, I still need to fdisk and format.  Installation was a long time (even longer than my old PIII).  Virtual PC was slightly faster than VirtualBox in installation, but VirtualBox is more configurable.  But, I can now still play around with my old games (mainly MechWarrior 2) that won’t even install in XP.  I could probably even install my favorite Linux Distro (OpenSuSE) if I wanted to, but that would be another blog entry…

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Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year

OK, I’m watching the New Years at the Needle.  I remember the fiasco that happened last year when the fireworks didn’t go off properly. They said it was a computer malfunction.  There is a reason why mission critical computers don’t run windows.  The Anti-Christ is known for doing a half-assed job.  Already I’ve seen the traditional marriage proposal live on TV (last year, they had three or four).  I’ve already celebrated the traditional way: with nachos and beer.

Now comes the New Years’ Resolution.  I don’t really make resolutions, and when I do, I usually end up breaking them my January 2, so these are more lifelong goals than resolutions. Anyhow, I resolve to:

  • Take better care of myself.  I am a diabetic, and I am starting to see some the complications of the condition.
  • To get out of debt.
  • To live within my means.  The economy’s been in the toilet for awhile, partly because of people using credit, not realizing that eventually the bills come due, and the piper will always get paid.
  • To be more productive at work.  It is far easier to retain employment than it is to find new employment.

Anyway, Happy New Year.  I must now retire.  I don’t have tomorrow off, and I have to get up pretty bright and early.  At least, the fireworks went off properly.

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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What a year it’s been….

2008 is about to be no more.  In no particular order, here’s some of what happened:

  • I moved in with my brother.  Again.
  • The Mariners sucked.  Even shit-canning the manager in the middle of the season didn’t do much to bring in wins.  Then again, when you’re in The New World Order (Mind-Control Division), you’re main purpose is not to play baseball.  Shiny Side Out!
  • The Seahawks sucked even worse.  But unlike the Lions, they at least won 3 games.
  • My computer died.  And I got a new one to replace it.
  • I cancelled my AT&T WorldNet account.  Soon after I cancelled, AT&T shut down their internal newsgroups, and fired Gage & Nick.
  • I found out the hard way that there are some pharmacy techs who can’t read, but I eventually got that straightened out.  And some tech probably got ripped a new one as a result.
  • Firefox 3 came out.
  • Google Chrome was released.
  • Obama got elected.  For the first time ever, the leader of the free world will not be a white male draft dodger….
  • Micheal Phelps got so much gold in Beijing that Fort Knox got jealous.
  • I finally got all the ManBearPig references on Fark.  And I’m being super cereal about it….
  • When it comes to my cell phone, I started the year with a Samsung T619.  Then my boss sold me his Motorola Z3.  Then he sold me his T-Mobile Shadow.  I sold the Z3, and the Samsung T619 is now being used by my sister.
  • The Sonics moved to Oklahoma City.  And they still sucked…

I could go on and on, but I’m just too lazy….

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Missing

It’s been over 17 years since Freddie Mercury passed on.  I didn’t have cable (let alone MTV) until well after the network Jumped The Shark and stopped airing videos.  Thank the Maker for youtube:

Brian May (who’s now a PhD, btw) is still the guitar player to compare to.  I’d hate to see his stuff show in the Guitar Hero games.  Nobody would be able to beat the level…

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Yet another catch-up post……

Yes, I know it’s been awhile but sometimes, the Real Life intervenes, and I’m unable to post as often as I want to.  So let’s get started (in no particular order):

  • Christmas has come & gone.  There were two family events.  My extended family (aunts & uncles, cousins, Grandma Bryant, etc…. on Christmas Eve), and my siblings and parents were scheduled to have the gathering on the Sunday before Christmas. I made it to the former, but once again I missed the latter because of $day-job, I know it’s not all about the presents, but much plunder was achieved.  This year, I scored:
    1. 2 Target gift cards.  I also shop at Wally World but Target’s closer.  I gave a Target gift card as well (I figure if your gift recipient can’t find what they want at Target, then they don’t deserve it…)
    2. Some sugar-free life savers.
    3. A Subway gift card. 
    4. And a hooded sweatshirt from my boss.
    5. Batteries (I have all the gadgets I need already).
  • My roommate (aka my brother) collectively scored:
    1. A toaster (haven’t had toast in over a year…)
    2. A screwdriver set.
    3. But the Big Gift we got this year was a coffee maker.  Now I can OD on caffeine and have hallucinations of The Underpants Gnomes trying to take my shorts in the comfort of my own home.
  • I discovered quite accidentally that my new computer has a headphone jack.  Currently the sound output is split, one going to my computer speakers, and the other going to my stereo, which usually has my headphones plugged in.  BTW, my stereo is still louder than my sound card.  Go figure….
  • My new computer has a very recently manufactured motherboard.  And it still has a slot for a floppy drive.  Too bad the floppy drive from my old computer doesn’t want to fit with the drive screws.
  • The Detroit Lions are still that bad.  You actually have to deliberately try to go 0-17.  At least they’ll have a good draft choice next year.  Although I’d have to give my condolences to the poor college star who’s going to lose a very promising NFL career….
  • We’ve had some really bad weather this year.  First came some snow.  It stuck around.  Then came more snow.  And more snow.  My apartment is two blocks away from a major arterial which is the first to get plowed and sanded.  But, it’s kinda sorta a wee bit difficult to get there when there’s at least two inches of ice in the apartment parking lot.
  • After the snow and the cold came the rain.  Cold running water melts ice surprisingly fast…..
  • No matter how short handed you are & no matter how soon you need to hire somebody, never skip the job interview.  You’ll regret it.
  • When it comes to conversations in the workplace, there are a few subjects too avoid:
    • Politics. 
    • Religion (that whole separation of church and state thing also works great in the workplace).
    • How your co-workers can enhance their anatomy (you know you’re in for a rough ride when the new girl you hired tells you she wants to get implants.  On her first day on the job). 

Well, that’s it for now. 

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Ten years in the making (and how’d they do that…..)

The International Space Station is 10 years old today.  To make things interesting, here’s how they’re building it.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Spin the Dreidel! Light the Menorah!

OK, so Hanukah started yesterday.  I was going to blog it, but my cell phone decided not to cooperate with me.  Anyway, it was also my boss’s birthday (I actually work for a married couple).  And It was my cousin’s birthday (Happy belated Birthday, Tomara), too. 

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It time to gather ‘round the pole

Today is Festivus.  Now is the time to gather around the pole and air the grievances & engage in the feat of strength.  The way I figure it, you can celebrate Festivus and Christmas.  With all the crass and commercialism of Christmas, it’s a good balance.  Then again, one could just hope that Christians would just celebrate it as the Christian holiday, rather than the pagan winter solstice that it’s usurped (in fact, most of the supposed Christmas customs actually have pagan origins).  I have nothing wrong with that all.  In fact, I always that the best to celebrate Christmas in to sacrifice a Christian….

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

It's winter solstice!

Have a Happy Godless Pagan Holiday today. Just make sure you remember to sacrifice a Christian…

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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Just another quick note/reminder

When troubleshooting sound issues in your computer, it does occasionally help to check that you actually plugged the speakers in…..

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Yet another bunch of random stuff….

This is in part, a make-up post from my old computer being on the fritz, and I wasn’t posting as often as I would.  But here we go:

  1. The Detroit Lions are so bad that they can’t even maul Christians…
  2. Corona Beer tastes like Piss.
  3. Judging from the Magic Blue Smoke I saw coming off of my old computer tonight, I don’t think it will ever work again.  I think I’ll strip it for parts, and see what I can get selling them.
  4. It’s cold outside.  I think it’s because Hell froze over from The Seahawks winning on Sunday.
  5. It’s never a good thing when you go to the pharmacy to get you prescriptions refilled, and you get the wrong persons’ prescription.  Correct me if I’m being delusional, but I do think that all pharmacy technicians should know how to read….
  6. This is the first time in two months I can play Flight Simulator, and MechWarrior, and SimCity, and all manner of my various and sundry games that I couldn’t play due to not having a functional computer (see my previous post).
  7. I wouldn’t say my family is dysfunctional, but this was the happiest Thanksgiving we celebrated.  The only difference was that Mom wasn’t there.
  8. Screw the Christmas Tree.  I want a Festivus Pole.
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Whew! (or how I got my new computer)

My old computer started going on the fritz a month and a half ago.  Random failures, and the occasional reboot loop when I tried to start up. At first I thought it was a Windows bug, and I tried to format and reinstall everything, and the same problems resumed.  I finally figured out it was either a bad power supply, video card, or motherboard.  Either way, it would be cheaper to replace the entire computer than it would to fix it.  My boss was looking for an upgrade to his computer, and he offered it to me for $300.00.  So I gave him the cash, and then he said let’s go to EBay and find him a new one.  We found a computer for him, but the only catch was that he forgot his EBay password, so I had to buy it for him.  So, his money got put back into my account, and I hit the ‘buy-it-now’ button, and placed the order.  After 4 days, I contacted the seller, and asked why it hadn’t shipped.  The seller responded by giving me my money back (along with a message of something about a defective motherboard).  So. my boss and I went back to EBay again, and we didn’t find anything for him.  But I found something I wanted.  So I ordered it.  It took 10 days to ship it (a look at the system log indicates that Windows wasn’t even installed until a week after I won the auction).  But long story short it arrived and I’m now all moved in (all my software and games).  Here are some features/differences:

  • First, a P4 (3.0 gigahertz processor) vs, a P3 (866 megahertz).  Stuff is a lot faster now.
  • 2 gigabytes of memory (my old one had only 512 megabytes).
  • The front side bus is fast (my other one was only 133 megahertz).  I don’t how fast it is, but I’m willing to speculate that it’s close to my old computer’s processor.
  • A PCI-e slot.  My old computer had an AGP port, that I was running a Radeon 9250.  A crappy and Piss Poor card, but it had one advantage: I could run two monitors.  I don’t have a PCI-e card, yet.  So I guess I have to make do with the 512 mb onboard graphics, which isn’t bad.  But, it only drives one monitor….
  • Windows XP Pro.  My last computer came with WinME installed on my computer, and I very rapidly became acquianted with all of Gateway Tech Support staff.  I also learned the hard way how to fix most computer problems.  Which does come in handy.  When you call most Tech Support departments, your call is routed to India.  My boss is from India.  He now comes to me for all his IT needs.  But this is still kind of like learning to swim by diving straight into the ocean…..  I did eventually upgrade to XP home after a year with ME, but still I like to have XP Pro.
  • I could also go on about the 250 gig hard drive, but the only caveat is that the new drive is SATA, whereas all my other hard drives where IDE.  I see an empty slot that looks like it’s for a ribbon cable, but I just bought this computer, and I don’t want to break it at least until I pay it off (although it is ironic that my old computer broke right as I paid it off….).

And some issues I see with it already:

  • Only two PCI slots.  Granted the sound, graphics, and network are onboard the motherboard and are integrated, that still leaves very little room for adding future components.  Then again, I don’t think there’s very much more to add.  I’ve already put my old TV tuner in, and my add my old WI-FI card, too.
  • It was advertised with MS Office.  This is a non-issue for me, since I had Office XP Standard.  But when I got my computer, I noticed that Office 2007 had been installed.  I suspect that it may be pirated, but I’ve also taken it through Microsoft Update, and The Anti-Christ hasn’t given me any rude warnings about it.  I’ll just continue using it, and keep my previous version of Office (which was legally purchased from a reputable retailer), in case it becomes an issue.  Anyway, it didn’t come with a reinstall disc, so it’ll be gone at the next system wipe.  In fact, the only back-up I got was the windows disc, and a driver disc for the motherboard).
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Sunday, December 14, 2008

I know why it's snowing so bad outside.

Hell has frozen over. The Seahawks won today.
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Mental Note

Remind brother-in-law to stop blowing up boxes of Frosted Flakes…
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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Do Not Panic, Nothing to see here

Never mind me.  And never mind this post, either.  Boss at $day-job brought her WI-FI enabled laptop to work, and since I have a few minutes to kill (and I have internet access), I can screw around on the internet.  The only problem is that it's a wimpy, girlie-man Mac.  But then again, I have genuine web access at work (which almost never happens.  And my phone doesn't count, either)....
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They’re back…

The latest rumor to be hears on the internets:  The Smiths are reforming.  Normally I would put this in the jumping the shark category, and suggest that Ted McGinley or cousin Oliver be added to the line-up.  But then I think to myself: The Smiths were actually one of the few good bands to come out of the ‘80s.  Johnny Marr is up there with Brian May (from Queen) and Kirk Hammond (from Metallica) when it comes to guitar skills.

Anyway see for yourself:

Yes, I know.  This is just a half-arsed excuse to post another music video…

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A new way to get to work

Some people take their cars.  Some take the train.  Some take the bus (like I do).  Or, you could take a Formula 1 car…..

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Friday, December 12, 2008

Finally

I now have a working computer again.  Found a cheap one on Ebay.  I would say by the processor speed that it’s a couple of years old, but still the front side bus is almost as fast as my processor in the old one (which is being stripped down for parts).  I just need to find a new video card (I can’t stand having only one monitor), but that’ll be a few paychecks away, anyway…

And I just called in to work on short notice again….

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Friday, December 05, 2008

Everybody Panic!!!

Taken from the I-5/SR 512 park & ride on my way to work tonight. I know these clouds are the result of winds trying to go over Mt. Raineer, but still, this is the most dangerous volcano in America, if it goes, we're all farked…
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Monday, December 01, 2008

Good things still happen….

First Ann Coulter has to have her jaw wired shut, and now Rachel Ray is having vocal cord surgery….

I do like to watch 30 minute meals, but Rachel, your set of pipes can really get on one’s nerves. 

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I’m still here

I haven’t gone off anywhere.  I’m just not posting until my new computer arrives.  Nothing personal, but there really isn’t the motivation to post when you try to turn the computer on and there’s a 50/50 chance that it may or may not turn on…

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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fading…

I bought my computer right before the 2000 election. In the eight years I had it, it has gone through many upgrades and replacements. The only original parts left were the floppy drive, and a DVD-rom drive. Now the power of the eldar is fading from it. It is dying. If I can get it to boot at all, it is only after several reboot cycles. I don't know what the issue is. It could be bad RAM, a power supply going under, or the video card is attempting to snuff it. Anyway, it's going to be cheaper to replace the whole thing than it is to try and figure out what's wrong with it. On the bright side, my boss has decided he deserves an upgrade, which means I can get his computer dirt cheap.

EDIT: I found another computer on EBay for about the same price that my boss wants for his. Nothing personal, but when I see a better item for a lower price, I’m going for it….

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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

One of my favorite things…

Is going to bed with the sound of rain hitting the roof. Just as long as the roof isn't leaking...
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Nothing to see here. Move along. Again

Well, wouldn't you know.  Blogger works in Google Chrome.  Who coulda figured it out?
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Saturday, November 08, 2008

Good Morning People

Saw this on the way to work this morning. With all the rain we've had of late, it should brighten somebody's day. But then again, I am working on a Saturday…
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Thursday, November 06, 2008

You know it's bad…

You know it's bad when you live in an area that gets a lot of rain (thereby being used to it). And then the weather forecaster says the word firehose. Someone (I think it was Northwest Cable News) was saying 8 inches of rain in some parts of the great Pacific Northwet…
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What Video Game Are You?

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Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Hail to the chief

I'm watching the election coverage on NBC. Obama has taken it. And yes, I will admit it: I voted for him. Hail to the chief.
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It's official

My computer is pretty much dead. I don't know what killed it, be it motherboard, hard drive, video card or memory. Fortunately, before it went belly up on me, I had just backed up all my data to my second hard drive, so it's all intact. I just need a new computer. I might be able to salvage some components out of my old tower, though I doubt much now. At least my cell phone does internet and email…

Edit: Once again, for the third time this week, I wiped the drive, and reinstalled windows. Again. This time, I also literally tore my computer apart (disconnected everything). Then I reseated everything. So far, I’ve had no issues. Yet. I’m beginning to think that it is my power supply that’s going south on me…

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Monday, November 03, 2008

Presidential Prediction

With election day tomorrow, a prediction has been made.  If the Washington Redskins win their last home game before the election, then the incumbent party will remain in the white house.  However if they lose, then there will surely be a regime change at 1600 Pennsylvania ave.

Guess what happened tonight.  The Steelers cut off the Redskins' balls and handed them to them on a silver platter.

The NFL has predicted that Barack Obama will take the white house.

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The Seahawks

The Seahawks suck.  Big time.  Yesterday the punter took more snaps than the quarterback.  The offense can't put points on the board.  And the defense can't stop the big plays.  Much can be said about key players getting injured, but that can only go so far.  You have to play the hand you're dealt.

So, I've been thinking about it, and I've a few ideas to help the Seahawks return to winning:

  1. Install a pillory in the parking lot at Qwest Field.  The next time the hawks get their balls handed to them, distribute Various & Sundry rotting vegetation to the Seahawks fans.  Then, put Mike Holmgren in said pillory before the fans are let out of the stadium.
  2. If they keep losing, threaten to change the team name to the Cougars.
  3. Institute a daily tot of rum to all healthy players.  Except for Koren Robinson.  He's better off sober. This should motivate the injured players to get healthy...
  4. Make uderperforming players sit in the aforementioned pillory...
  5. Start cutting starters in mid-season.  If they're not performing, shit-can 'em.  The fear of one's own job is a swift and stern motivator to improve performance.
  6. Make the punter's salary on a per-kick basis.  Then make the offensive starters pay it.  Personally.  More motivation to stay on the field, and therefore score points.
  7. Offer a cash reward for sacks, tackles for loss, and fumbles forced.
  8. Base the offense's salaries on net yards gained and points scored.

And finally, if they still don't win:

  • Offer the team to Oklahoma City....
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