Ok, my towers going down the tubes....

Or it could just be a random system fart. But I doubt it, since it was showing the exact same symptoms a last week. Fortunately, I still had the windows XP CD still in the drive, so I just booted to the CD and an running chkdsk. Again. I think its time to back up my data, this time to an external computer. Fortunately, the first time my tower had issues, I bought a laptop. And I have enough space on it to hold everything. But first thing is first: I must get the tower running...

Edit: Ok, so I ran the short chkdsk, and I was able to boot into safe mode. Unfortunately, I can't move files across the network, but I am copying my important files to my second hard drive, which will then be physically disconnected until I can repair it. Something tells me my terabyte hard drive might be going....

Edit: it was actually just a cable that got pulled just loose enough. After unplugging everything, then reseating all my cable and expansion cards, it's ask good now...

No more Starz on Netflix

I was reading that Starz content will not be available on Netflix anymore. Apparently 300 million wasn’t enough. Starz specifically wanted higher prices. Too bad. Big Fat Fucking Deal. Yes I have the Netflix streaming plan. But I also have Starz as part of my Comcast/Xfinity programming, and I can still stream there on-demand programming though my laptop.

But I prefer Emergency! reruns, and 6 degrees of Kevin Tighe…

I got a haircut a couple of weeks ago

Actually, I got several hairs cut <rim shot>. But as I sat down into the chair at the Tacoma Mall Mastercuts, the stylist suggested a Mohawk. My reply was only if I could giver her a tonsure, waxed. Needless to say we agreed on the ever popular and low maintenance 3 and 1 (clipper setter #3 on top, and #1 on sides and back). I thought to myself that I could be worse. At least nobody suggested the Justin Beiber…

So, I was going to the bus stop last night….

And I was approaching the bus stop, I noticed someone waiting 10-20 feet away from it. I didn’t think nothing much of it. I do it, if there’s a ‘character’ at the stop, and I want to give him a wide berth. I went to the bus stop, and I saw a radio flyer wagon with a bunch of stuff on it, and two people sitting on the bench. It wasn’t until right away that I realized what was going on: a drunk was getting serviced orally by a hooker (?) at the public bus stop, while there was still traffic! Anyway, I immediately stepped away from the stop, and the john came out and started lighting into the other guy standing there (apparently he was supposed to be the lookout). they all left during the argument, and I went to the stop (by then, I was the only one there), and I could tell they were prettily hammered. When you’ve left five minutes ago, and I can still smell your beer, you’re probably very well pickled. I boarded my bus. As the bus proceeded on it’s route, I noticed that same wagon a couple of blocks down the road near some bushes. And two pairs of feet in the horizontal position….

Moral of this story: Don’t even sit on the bench in King County Metro sheltered bus stops. And there are still a very small minority of the populace who still uses bus stops to actually catch the bus. And I’m one of them….

It's alive, part deux?...

When we last left my tower, I was running Chkdsk on it over night. It finished during the night, and I turned it off. This morning, I turned it on and loo and behold, it booted into windows! Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! And then I couldn't get online anywhere... That was simple. I just had to power cycle my modem and router.

As soon as…

As soon as I get one tower upgraded to something workable, the other one tries to die….

Like I posted Monday, I got the processor situation in my Win9X tower upgraded (I ‘borrowed’ a couple of power cables and a monitor from my main WinXP tower so I could see if the other tower works. Then on Wednesday, my brother’s boss dropped her computer off for me to look at. From what she was telling me, I thought that it had given up the ghost, and was merrily frolicking amongst the Beer Volcanoes and Stripper Factories. SO, again, I pulled the monitor and the power cables from my main tower, and started analyzing it. It turned out that her main issue was the video cable had come loose. Still, I ran Windoze Update on it, and made sure she had a decent AV. While that was going on, I tried running my main tower with only one monitor, and I noticed it wasn’t booting normally (the splash screen was just hanging, and the colors weren’t all there). Oh shit. I put all the hardware back together (thinking that it was just because I was trying to run it on only one monitor when 2 had been installed. And it wasn’t booting. Couldn’t even get to the POST. Finally, I got it to POST, but then the hard drive wouldn’t spool up. Finally, I had to give up on it, as it was 1 on the morning, and I had to get up a 5 to work a 13 hour shift.

I get home from work tonight, and give it one more try. For some reason tonight, I was able to successfully boot off the XP cd, and get it into recovery console. Right now, I have chkdsk running, and it’s 57% percent complete. This may take a while, as it’s a 1 terabyte drive.

I’m so grateful that I bought my laptop the last time my computer had issues. But on the bright side, I know now how to change a slot 1 processor, as well how to re-seat a socket 775 chip…

It’s alive?

About a year and a half ago, my former district manager at work gave me his uber-old computer, a 265 MHz Pentium II. He had upgraded hos computer to a laptop, and it was just sitting in his closet. I casually asked how much he wanted for it, and he gave it to me outright. It sat in my room for a year, and I decided to restore it. If I’m going to run Win98-WinME, then I’m going to try to get a decent processor. Looked on Ebay, and there were a shit-load of cheap Pentium II Slot 1 processors available. Ordered one, it arrived today.

A couple of months ago, my boss offered me his old computer desk and monitor (he, too, went from tower to laptop). The computer desk works, but the monitor is a dud. Pulled one of the monitors off my main tower, and the slightly less-old tower works, though I can’t get into the BIOS (and it just sees a 500 MHz Pentium Pro, instead of a 700 MHz PIII). But it still works. With my boss’s computer desk, I’m trying to set a separate computer desk in my room. And along with this, I’ll have a separate work station set up, so when I get called upon to fix a tower, it can just be dropped off at my house, and I can leave the rat’s nest behind my main tower alone….

A little older, hopefully wiser….

When somebody posts to my Facebook wall, I get the usual email. I also get a text. It comes in handy. If I know who’s ‘freinding’ me, I can confirm it without having to open my browser. However, this can have it’s drawbacks/ Like when my birthday comes around, and everybody posts their wishes. And they have to do it at three in the morning. Fortunately, I remembered I can put my phone on silent mode…

My birthday was today. As of this writing, I have about 20 minutes left of it. I didn’t get much this year, which is alright with me.  The well wishes I got from my friends (and my sisters. And you, Mom & Dad) throughout the day were the highpoint of the day. And Steve, shall hunt you down, and repeatedly say ‘NI!’ at you until I get my shrubbery…

Aside from the well-wishes, I did get a couple of items. Mother gave me a case of Coke Zero. I told my father I really didn’t want anything specific, so he gave a couple of Federal Reserve gift certificates.

Surprisingly my boss hasn’t tried selling me a phone this year. Three years ago, he sold me his Shadow. Last year, he sold me his HD2. But this year, he’s selling me a computer desk and a monitor (to go with the old tower I already have. When I’m not screwing around with that tower, I’ll use it as a workstation, ie keyboard, monitor, and mouse so I can fix other towers, something I still get called upon to do….).

Life isn’t fair….

I remember in the late ‘90s, there was this drink put out by Coca-Cola called Surge. I drank it. And enjoyed it (this is before I was diabetic). And then, I realized it was gone (right about the time Target stopped carrying 1-liters). I’d get home from Seattle (I was working in the Westlake Center at the time), go into the South Hill Mall Target, grab a 1-liter of Surge, then go to South Hill Hobbies (the owners were by best friends, and one of them still is. RIP Bob), and my Happy Hour was chugging it, and then going home.

Anyway, Surge went to The Beer Volcano and The Stripper Factory in 2003. Here are 24 other items that are no longer with us. Pepsi Blue is actually still with us. It’s just know as 2000 flushes…

I now pronounce you Google and Motorola

If you haven’t heard it yet, Google is buying Motorola Mobility. Motorola has in the past made phone that are icons. Remember the microtac from the mid-90’s? Or perhaps the first wearable phone, the star-tac (some years later they released the RAZR, and the Star-tac was still lighter than it). I used to have a motorola, a blue MotoRIZR Z3, that I bought from my boss (who at the time had the original T-Mobile Shadow, a gift from his wife). Six months later, he sold me his Shadow. Two years later, his wife bought him a HTC HD2. Six months later, he sold to me. IMO, he made the biggest mistake of his life (there is so much more you can do with an HD2…). Hes now using and LG Optimus G2X.

This will probably do much to improve Google’s market share (iOS is still the phone system for douchebags, but there are still lots of douchebags. And then there’s The Anti-Christ….). If this clears anti-trust, good things could happen. Then again….

My contract went up two weeks ago. But waiting to see if the AT&T/T-Mobile merger will go through before I renew/upgrade my contract. Sprint is also a viable option…

So I got a birthday wish last night from one of my friends...

I'm sure he meant well from it, and I appreciate the thought. But still it isn't my birthday yet, and I'm not really down with celebrating birthdays and/or holidays early. One day at a time is the best strategy in my opinion for special days. it's the same with Christmas Creep. I like the example of Norstrom. They dint set up for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I can understand it if there are other events like an overseas deployment that make an early celebration necessary, but to everyone else, you can wait till the appointed time...

So I'm still running Froyo on my phone....

And I have absolutely no motivation to upgrade to Gingerbread. Aside from the obvious fact that I'm still running an HD2, which wasn't originally designed to run Android. But I think I've been through that before....

Since April, I've been running Roms by CMYLXGO. First I was just running stock, then I figured out that since the roms were just basically zip files, I could customize them with my own software selections (and save space by taking off programs I didn't use). But I realized that space was still an issue. When I was running droid off the sd card, I usually had an entire gigabyte to install my apps too. When I was running just straight nand (everything off the phone memory), all the software ran off the phone memory, and space ran out really quick. Then I switched back to Rafdriod. I used to use it before I was using cmylxgo. Basically, it's a stock Desire HD adapted to the hd2. But since it's also written for the european version of the hd2 (which only has 512 megs of memory), it has a little trick up it's sleeve: you can partition your sd card, and have a fat32 partition for your memory card & have a ext3 partition for your phone's data partition. Space is no longer an issue. With a 2 gigabyte partition on my memory card, I have as much available space on my phone that I had with the MyTouch 4g. Without the ticking time bomb of a possibly defective emmc chip....

There is progress being made in developing a Gingerbread rom for the hd2, but there are still a couple of bugs in it. Nothing really big, but it's enough to keep me from upgrading. If it works, I really don't see a reason to try and fix it.

Tomorrow, it'll be a year since my boss sold me his HD2. Though I should give the shout-out to his wife, who bought it for him in the first place (which wouldn't have happened if I hadn't shown her my Touch Pro 2 when I bought it). And I'm still happy with it.

First Pre-Season Game is in the books….

And all I can say about it it that Seattle’s back-up players are better than San Diego’s back-ups. Starters got to play one quarter at the most, and then we saw the back-ups and the others play. Which in my opinion is the best football. The starters pretty much know they have employment secured for the rest of the fall, so they aren’t going to play that much. Everybody is still trying to get work for the fall, so they have much more motivation to perform in the pre-season. During the game the Monday Night Football crew were also pointing out some changes this year, among them being (in no particular order):

• Horse collar tackles don’t actually have to be a tackle to draw a penalty. A safety measure.
• They’ve expanded the rule to protect vunerable players (ie punters right after they’ve kicked, etc). Any contact will now draw a 15 yard penalty. People may say the sports degenerating down to touch football, but I can see the league’s point. It’s a safety issue. They’re in a position where they can’t protect themselves, they’re usually not anywhere near where the play is, and they can really get hurt….
• No more two-a-day practices. That was actually part of the new collective bargaining agreement. And there must be a minimum of 5 days off during the bye week.
• All scores are automatically reviewed by the replay official, who may direct the referee to look at it. This way the coaces don’t have to waste there allocated challenges.
• The big change this year in the rules was relating to the kick-off. The ball is now kicked off from the 35 yeard line, and the players on the kicking msut start with a body part on the 30 yard line. This is another change made in the name of player safety, but I can see the kick-off turning more into the opening touch-back than an actual kick-off return. In tonight’s game, I saw a the majority of them returned anyway, though that may be due to players trying to impress somebody into a roster spot, and possibly a job.

Hopefully the Seahawks will make the play-offs with a winning record this year….

Just another sucky Monday morning….

It’s a day off, but I ordered a stick of RAM for the tower last week, and Worst Buy is shipping brown. They said anytime betwwen 9 and 7, so I set the alarm to get up at 9. Pulled the laptop out to the living room, and the Wi-Fi is out (as laptop was unable to connect to the apartment’s secured wi-fi network). And come to think of it, my Android Powered HD2 was unable to connect as well. SO I go back to the tower (it has a wired connection) and I start to play with the settings. Rebooted both the router and modem. Reflashed the  router firmware. Restored factory setting. Twice. And eventually I got the wi-fi to work. DNS is still buggy, though (I think that my be an issue on Comcast’s end, as I did verify that I’m using the right DNS servers…).

While I was writing that last paragraph, Fat Bastard’s Co-Workers showed up with my delivery: a 1 gig stick of ram for the tower. I don’t think I’ll be putting anymore in it. It already has 2 gigs in, and a 1 gig video card, and the maximum it can support is 4. No, I didn’t do this for XP. I’m doing it for an eventual upgrade to windows 7, which is also why I’m setting up my win9x tower. And a nice off-shoot to setting up the separate win9x tower is that’ll I’ll a separate monitor, mouse, keyboard, and a workspace to I bring friends’ towers home to fix them (and maybe charge them). I don’t really mind most of the time having to fix their computers. I do mind having to pull my tower out & disconnecting all the cables, and then remembering to reconnect them. Why can’t people just leave my rat’s nest alone?

No more Linux. I can get the tv tuner to initially work, but once I install the Catalyst driver, all I get is a buzzing noise. Not even a window. It’s not worth the frustration. I guess this means I can pull the 2nd TV tuner out. I had disabled in Windows. It was just there for Linux….

EDIT: Who knew that to fix the balky router I just has to power-cycle the surge protector it and the cable modem were plugged into?

EDIT II: It’s confirmed that my supposed ‘n’ router is crap. Apparently my roommate has had nothing but problems with it since I set it up, but he never told me…. So we’re back to the old one. And I moved the modem/router out to the living room, so we can all get the same signal…

Ok, who wants to play 6 degrees of Kevin Tighe?!

I joined Netflix tonight. Only the 7.99 streaming plan, though. If I want to watch a DVD, I can always check it out for free from the Pierce County Library. When I first got my laptop, I saw the standard Windows Media Player, and then there was the Windows Media Center, which is essentially a 64-bit version of Windows Media Player, plus some enhancements for TV Tuners and the like. And Netflix. So, I’m now watching Emergency!. And unlike Hulu, which only had 4 seasons, and you had to watch commercials, this has all 7 seasons. And no ads, so far.

So, to hell with 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Let’s play 6 degrees of Kevin Tighe.

And I’m sure I’ll find other things worth watching, too. I can also stream HBO programming (since HBO is part of my xfinity tv service…).

A record I’d rather not see broken….

The Seattle Mariners lost 17 straight in a row recently. And the manager didn’t get shit-canned. I’m shocked. Last year, Don Wakamatsu got canned for an even shorter streak, but there were some other clubhouse drama issues as well. For starters, he brought back Ken Griffey, Jr. who did nothing but whine and eventually retired in the middle of the season…

I told somebody at work recently what I thought of David Beckham (think man-diva). Today he told me rumors of his own line of underwear. Guess what, he’s right.

The Sounders FC lost yesterday (I’m watching the rerun right now on root sports). But, the Mariners won, so I’ll take it. Apparently they’ve already clinched a play-off spot, according to my father, though he could’ve also been talking about the CONCACAF Champions League…

Sorry Charlie, but you’re not starting the Seahawks this year. Pete Caroll is going with Tarvaris Jackson instead of Charlie Whitehurst… A bit of risk in my opinion. But then again, going with a back-up is a risk, too.

So I can watch….

I have HBO as part of my cable service. I don’t really watch that often (I mainly have it for my roommate. Though I have been following the HBO2go app for may Android powered HD2. Since I have a comcast.net email address (Comcast is both my isp and my tv provider), I apparently can stream HBO on my phone. An interesting development. And even greater development is I can stream it on my laptop. And apparently I can stream Xfinity’s on demand programming, too. I just finished up Scott Pilgrim vs. The World:

The Vegan Police
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — MOVIECLIPS.com

This could be a very interesting development….

Help wanted….

Hasselbeck has received a Matt Hasselbeck Well-Deserved Shit-Canning. Well, it wasn’t exactly a Well-Deserved Shit-Canning, but it’s the same end result: he’s not here. IIRC, he’s gone off to Tenessee, and there’ll hell lead the Titans to there Tom Brady Well-Deserved Beating. I wish him the best, in his future losing season. Which probably means that Seattle is looking for a new quarterback (though, I will root for Charlie Whitehurst. I just the offensive line holds up…). It has also been heard that the ‘Hawks were seriously considering Brett Favre. God Forbid. I saw his last play last season. He should not take the field again. Ever! Before, I thought it was just funny to joke around with him being old (like his suspension due to testing positive for Geritol). But now, my position is that he needs to stay retired. For his health. Seriously. Besides, the conditions of the turf at CenturyLink Field are not conducive to the use of walkers on the field. Perhaps if he’d actually ran instead of just telling the oncoming rush to get off his lawn….

While we’re on it, the NFL needs to seriously address concussions and head injuries. Sure we love to see all the hits, and ball carriers getting crunched, but there are people getting hurt. I know a lot of you think the NFL is devolving to touch football, but many of these players are beating themselves senile. And most NFL careers and ended by the time the players are in there thirties (many of them earlier). And I just don’t think it’s right to sacrifice your entire life just for 16-18 hours every fall in your 20s…. Perhaps the NFL could also borrow a page from the NHL’s book. Make ‘attempting to injure’ a call-able foul. Once called the offending player is immediately ejected from the game, and the league has to review it before he can return. Or maybe, the league could borrow the concept of the yellow and red cards from MLS. Yellow = your first and last warning from the officials. Red = you’re ejected from the game, and your team is playing short-handed for the duration….

Technorati Tags: Football,Matt Hasselbeck Well-Deserved Shit-Canning,Tom Brady Well-Deserved Beating

Anybody have a….

Ok, one of my hobbies is fixing computers (if you haven’t figured that out already…). One of my friends (actually my former district manager) comes to me on e semi-regular basis (I’ve configured 2 laptops, and I think three towers over the years for him) for his IT needs. His first computer, a Gateway Pentium II, he gifted to me about a year and a half ago. It’s a good tower, and the hardware is still sound. It will probably never run WinXP, and don’t even go there about Vista or 7. At first, I thought I was going to put WinME on it, and run some of my old games on it. The problem is that the more I look at it, the processor is too old for even my old games. But, there is hope. Apparently it has a socket one processor. And there appear to be Pentium 3 processors available for it. But the better part of me hesitates at spending any more money on it. Something is telling me that I’d be better off just parting it out. But it’s still here in my room, gathering dust and waiting….

So if anybody has a Pentium 3 socket 1, I might be interested in it. But that’s not a really high priority. I already have a tower that works very well, and I just got a laptop (in fact, this entry is being written on it…).

In a somewhat related story, we got a new Wi-Fi router. My boss was trying to sell me his old computer, which I wasn’t interested at all in (he was asking way too much for it, and when I looked at it, it doesn’t have enough upgradable shoulders for me). S, he was then going to sell me his computer desk, and the monitor (the computer desk, I thought, would be good for my brother and his iMac, and I’d use the monitor for my aforementioned fossil). In the end, I decided against both of them, but he also had a Wi-Fi ‘N’ router available. That I couldn’t pass up. When I put the cable modem and router out in the living room (so my brother could get a decent connection on his box in the kitchen), I had connectivity issues. When I put the Internet Gateway in my room, I get a decent connection (wired is always better than wi-fi), but I felt bad for my brother. So I put the ‘n’ router in my room, and took the laptop out to the living room. And promptly got a 16 mps connection. So the router can stay in my room without guilt. This also means that I can take the wi-fi card out of the tower (it works perfectly, I just like the empty slot next to my video card for air circulation…).

BTW, I’m giving Linux another try….

80+ yesterday….

It was over 80 degrees yesterday, and today we had rain. Go figure. In fact, I was woken up by thunder this morning. I guess that was Summer’s token appearance. Though with the weather the rest of the country is having to endure, I will not complain about the year(s) without a summer in the great Pacific NorthWet….

And it was my day off today, as well…

It’s over. Finally!

Now we can have a football season again. The NFL lockout is over, and there’s now a 10 year deal. We’ll have peace and football for a decade. Which is good. A few years back, the NHL had a labor issue, and it went to a lockout. And eventually the entire season got cancelled. They still haven’t recovered from it, IMHO. If you cancel your season, and your fans take up new sports, then there is a very good chance that they’ll not come back. The NFL labor dispute wasn’t going to be any different. The players make a lot of money. The owners do, too. If the labor dispute had gone to to the point to where games had to be cancelled, then… I  shudder at the thought. No matter who would’ve won, the fans would’ve lost. And I’m sure they would’ve gone on to other sports (like the EPL) and not have come back. In America, the MLS runs from Spring to Fall, and in Europe, there football season lasts from fall to spring (I have Fox Soccer Channel as part of my TV service, and I can watch in-season soccer year round).

Professional sports (ie the NBA, NFL, The New World Order (Mind-Control Division), need to realize that the fans’ loyalty comes at a price. And alienating them by arguing between players and owners isn’t the best thing to do to guarantee your future. Remember, your revenues and your paychecks ultimately come from us, through our ticket purchases, cable tv fees, etc. And if you’re not playing, we’re not buying….

The 27 Club gains another member

Amy Winehouse is dead. I never really listened to her music, but I heard of her self-destructive behavior (which is part of the reason why I didn’t listen to her…). So sad. She had the talent to go far. But she also had the self-destructive behavior…. Questions should be asked when one of your biggest hits is titled ‘Rehab”, and the main line is ‘NO, No, No’…

May she now have the peace that she cou;dn’t apparently find in this life…

Finally, some decent TV worth watching….

Beavis and Butthead are coming back!

Sneak peak, courtesy of MTV:

MTV Shows

I may eventually forgive Mike Judge for King Of The Hill…

In less than 4 hours…

The last space shuttle will come in for its final landing. Ever. I remember the first launch, when I was in the first grade at school in Goergia (this was sufficiently important stuff that we watched it in class, even in the first grade…). A few days later, we saw the landing. Live. After the first few missions, they became sufficiently commonplace that the news no longer preempted the regular programming to show the launches. The exception was one day in 1986 when they broadcast the live launch in school (for some reason or another, my teacher at the time didn’t turn the tv on, but it was on in the adjoining classroom). But it was turned on right away when it was realized what had just happened. May Christa McAuliffe frolic in the Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory.

A lot more of the technological innovations we enjoy have come from the space program than you really know. Not being able to put people into space on a regular basis will eventually have an adverse effect on the economy, and I’m afraid people don’t realize that. Yes, it takes our tax dollars, but the innovations that we can derive from them will in the long run bring an even greater return on the investment.

0-7??!!

If tonight’s Sounders FC match was a boxing fight, it would’ve been stopped early. That’s the jist of what I can say about it. Casey Keller did a real kick-ass job in the first half, but then they pulled him at half-time, and Manchester United brought in somebody (who’s name I can not recall). And he promptly scored himself a hat trick. Which anybody should be proud of (most soccer teams rarely score three goals for the entire game, let alone individual players…). But this is a friendly match, it doesn’t really count towards any teams’ record (though this is also the preseason for the English Premier League, and some of the best performances are always from players looking for work….).

60,000+ fans. Seattle is definitely a soccer town…

So Long, Borders

So, it is apparent that Borders is going to have to liquidate. One of my work sited was located near the Federal Way store, and I was on relatively speaking terms with the employees. So, when they initially filed for bankruptcy, and published that this store was initially going to stay open, I was happy (and a little bit relieved….). Then in April, they announced that the store was going to be liquidated. Two days before the store’s final day, one of the employees told me that the whole company will probably be liquidated by June. He was only a month late….

Who’s to say why the company ultimately failed? I have a couple of theories:

• They failed to develop an e-reader. Spamazon has the kindle. Barnes & Noble has the Nook. And you can buy and download a whole shit-load of books onto one of them, far more than you could carry if you had to carry books….
• The Internet. Why go to the bookstore when you can have it shipped to your door, after having ordered it without even bothering to put your pants on? Or, if you’re tech-savvy enough, you could even get it for free (though that may involve legally dubious means, exercise this at your own risk…).
• And the reason why I never shopped at Borders: The Pierce County Library. I don’t think the Pierce County Library actually killed Borders per say, but because I live only three blocks from the Parkland/Spanaway branch of the Pierce County Library, I never really had the need to buy a book from Borders. They have an even better selection. The length of a loan is 3 weeks, but that’s more than enough to read a book, and it’s free. Oh, and they have e-books, too.

On the day they finally closed the Federal Way, I downloaded my first E-Book from the Pierce County Library to my phone. Border’s died because they didn’t adapt to the times. People just don’t go to the bookstore anymore. There used to be time when there were these things called music stores (at one time, the South Hill Mall in Puyallup had three different stores that carried only music). Now they’re all gone. People are now downloading music (iTunes, anyone?).

That’s the nature of business. And life in general. Adapt. Or die…

Wi-Fi is good, but….

A wired connection is even better. When I was moving my files from my tower to my laptop, I had a LAN already already set up, so I thought I’d just drag and drop the files. But when you’re moving over 60 gigs of files, a wi-fi LAN perhaps might not be the best of ideas. I was only getting 500 KBs/sec, and it would've taken me about 12 hours to do everything. But if I used a wired connection, it only took me about 3 hours. But since I didn’t have enough network cable available, my brother had to go without an internet connection while I did the move.

But if you’re not moving over 60 gigabytes of data from one computer to another, then wi-fi is generally good….

So there’s a new Harry Potter out…

I’ve never really cared for Harry Potter (or Twilight, for that matter. When faced with Team Edward or Team Jacob, I’ve always preferred Team Grandpa Munster…). The best way to deal with Voldemort, or any wizard for that matter is to get a balance scale, a duck, and an unruly mob:

Snape way played by Alan Rickman, who was also the voice of God in Dogma. So, I wonder, why can’t Hogwarts have Jay and Silent Bob, too?

Why didn't I hear this growing up?

I though I heard once or twice on the radio when I was in high school, and no more. I thought the tune was catchy and a bit uplifting.

After those 2-3 times on the radio, I never heard it again. Until I was at the mall the other day, and the played it over the intercom, and I Soundhounded it (Soundhound infinity was a free app of the day at the Spamazon app store a while back, and I got it).

Very good song. Too bad Micheal Been passed away, and he didn’t get the mainstream success he deserved. In the ‘80s, a lot of bands put out even worse music, and saw more success than him….

Heineken Tastes Like Piss…

Actually, I shouldn’t say that. Corona tastes like bottled urine. The last time I had a Heineken, though, I had a headache that lasted till about 4 in the afternoon the next day. And I only had a beer and a half. I;ll stick with Guinness or Henry’s, thank you…

Now, we play the music video:

One wonders what drugs they were on. Heineken may be Dutch urine, but I don’t think ‘shrooms are part of it. Good song, great band. Questionable beer, and what the hell were they on when made the video? And why didn’t they share it?

Fun with 2 Computers….

So, when I got my laptop a couple of weeks ago, it took me 2, almost three nights to copy all my files over to it (I did it with the Wi-Fi LAN). But I’m glad I did. I did a maintenance wipe on my tower tonight. There is no virus that can survive a ‘format c:’ command. Actually I didn’t do it just for the maintenance aspect. I wanted to try a different configuration with the partitioning (only to realize that once I’d set all my partitions up, I liked the original setup better). But this time, I can take my time putting it back together. Especially since the aforementioned laptop happens to have all my music copied to it…. But  I do have an impetus to fix the tower eventually. It is my room’s primary TV, after all….

Did you know?

That those really neat looking themes from Windows 9x will work on Windows 7? My shiny new Windows 7 laptop is right now running the plusWindows Millennium theme. I figured out that the Win9x themes will run on WinXP when I was dual-booting ME and XP a few years back. Then when I went to straight XP, I copied the <C:/program files/plus!> directory into my xp directory, and the themes worked. In Windows 7, just copy the plus! directory to your program files directory, then start THEMES.exe. Though for best results, change the windows 7 theme to windows classic first…..

23 years ago and change…

I remember the spring of my 8th grade year. I just started taken an interest in the local professional sports scene (my favorite team was the now defunct Tacoma Stars. I still hero worship Steve Zungul and Preki. Today, I consider myself a fan of the Sounders FC…). The previous fall, I had finally figured out how the sport of gridiron football is played, and I ‘borrowed’ my parents’ walkman to listen to Seahawks games on the radio (Pete Gross went to The Beer Volcano and The Stripper Factory even before there was a Flying Spaghetti Monster). And then The New World Order (Mind-Control Division) decreed that baseball season should start, and I started listening to games on the radio. For the first part of the season as I was listening to the Mariners on the radio, Dick Williams was the team manager. They canned his ass midway through the season, and I paid little attention to it at the time, instead following the anitcs of Jimmy Snyder before he got shit-canned after the season and they brought in Jim Lefebvre, who eventually got the team to post its first winning season. Ever.

Anyway back to Dick Williams. He had an illustrious career as a player and a manager, and skippering the Mariners was the twilight of his career. Dick Williams passed away yesterday. Like I’ve said before, I never really followed him. He was almost an afterthought, and was gone beofre I realized what a contribution he had already made. Now he can join Dave Neihaus….

Not Guilty...

So, they returned a verdict. Casey Anthony is not guilty. There are many people who still think she did it, but it comes down to this: there were 12 people in Florida who had the best position to decide guilt or not, the jury. And they said not guilty. That's all I need to know. Whether our not she actually did it is now irrelevant.

People may say that justice was denied for Caylee, but the criminal justice is set up the way it is for a reason. Everybody deserves due process of law, and unless the prosecutor can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, you are considered innocent. Think about it. Would you want it any other way if you were accused of a crime you didn't commit?

The start of another summer

Over the years a resident in Washington State, I've come to realize that we do have an actual summer. It starts right around the fourth, lasts through most of July and August (with the exception of Hydroplane weekend) and ends right before my birthday.

Beyond that, if you can're see Mt. Rainier, them come inside out if the rain. If you can see it, then come inside, it's about to rain...

So I'm watching the family fourth on King 5

And what can be more patriotic song to set fireworks of to than the Monday Night Football theme? Although a couple of years they used the Immigrant Song... They've also used Smoke On The Water this year.

This takes me back. I remember my first fireworks display that I went to. I was actually scared to death of them for several years later, because I thought they were coming right towards me. I guess they'd why I've always preferred watching then on tv...

Happy Fourth….

Ok, so I’m celebrating my Fourth of July the same way any red-blooded American ought to: by giving my Full 90 with the Sounders FC.While blogging on my apartment’s wi-fi from my laptop. May the LA Galaxy receive a Tom Brady Well-Deserved Beating…. So far, I’ve seen on penalty kick (note: a hand-ball is not the best of moves when you’re on D…).

As for the previous game (New England Revolution vs. Real Salt Lake), somebody ought to shit-can the referee. There is no difference betwwen incompetence and malice, and referee in that match was both….

So, It’s National Get Dunk and Blow Yourself Up Day…

AKA the Fourth of July, or Independence Day (Coincedentally the 15th anniversary of the beginning of the end of Jeff Goldblum’s career….). I don’t set off fireworks. I just hope my neighbors don’t cause too big of a fire and burn my apartment building down. I usually watch it on TV, and let the professionals blow themselves up….

I read somewhere that less than 50% of Americans know who we defeated in the American revolution to gain our Freedom. I supposed it was a worldwide Axis of Evil, comprised mainly of Genghis Khan, the Canadians, the Mexicans, Rodan, and Barbra Streisand. And George Washington had to call on Brian Boitana and Robert Smith from The Cure…

Guess what's on Cooking Channel!

Iron Chef! The classic Iron Chef! As in the original Japanese version. Life is even better now. Iron Chef America is good, but it's also wise to pay your dues to the original, where you can legitimately wonder if chairman Kaga is wearing a dress, or pants (if memory serves me correctly, his wardrobe was one of the greatest expenses in the shows budget...). You can also see the really tall chef's hats (whenever I saw Sakai's hat, the thought always came to mind that the taller the heart, the smaller the penis.....)

Tonight, it's Battle Pumpkin. Allez Cuisine.....

From 3 to 5

As I was moving in to my laptop, I went to download Thunderbird, and was surprised that Thunderbird 5 is already out. Wasn’t it only 3.1 last week. On my OpenSUSE install, 3.1 comes with the distro… Oh, well, the next I log into the tower, I’ll have something else to upgrade.

Last night, I thought about taking XP completely off the tower, but have come to the conclusion that it’s not worth the trouble. My BIOS enables to pick which hard drive to boot off of when I turn the computer on (like having 2+ computers in one tower). And since I have 2 drives in the tower (and I’ve spent the past two nights copying all my key files onto my laptop), I could probably afford to keep windows on it….

BTW, Firefox 5 came out about a week ago. Little is said about it, but keeping your primary browser current is also essential for keeping your computer/network secure.

I’m now running anti-virus on all my computers. With the laptop, it was a no-brainer. If I’m going to take it out of the house, and log on to other wireless networks which I’m not sure are properly firewalled, then should use some sort of anti—virus (usually, I’d just go with a AFDB, but that’s an entirely different entry). On my tower, the only other computer in the apartment is a iMac (and Mac OS X and Windows XP software isn’t exactly compatible with each other). And since I know the router has a firewall in it, I never really paid much attention to AV. For those of you who are wondering, I’m now using Microsoft Security Essentials (who knew that I’d go for a security solution offered by The Anti-Christ?). I used to say go with AVG, but of late they’re appearing to become almost spyware-ish, and I find that annoying….

Anyway, I should be off to bed. Goodnight, Gentles….

Fun with the new laptop…

It took way too long (4+ hours) to copy my music over to the new laptop from my my tower. And it took the same time to copy my photos over. But it’s probably because I did it the hard way. I simply set a LAN, and am just copying and pasting the files over. I know Windows 7 has windows easy transfer, but thought that copying and pasting would be quicker and more painless. At least this way, I now have an archive of all my stuff on a different computer (in case both hard drives in the tower go to the Beer Volcano and the Stripper Factory).

I’ve given serious thought to taking Windows XP completely off my tower. I can do everything in Linux on it, that I can do in windows. And if I really need windows (or i just want to use windows live writer), that’s why I have a laptop. It has enough of a hard drive to hold everything (320 gb’s, and I’m only using 266 on my tower’s 1 tb…). I think the only software that I have that won’t eventually make it to the laptop is my copy of FSX. There needs to be some serious hardware upgrades in my tower before I can get a decent framerate. When I’m finished moving in, probably I’ll also do my phone stuff (installing new ROM’s, cooking ROM’s for my currently Android powered HD2) will be done from my laptop, just because of it’s portability. And the built-in card reader doesn’t hurt much, either….

Nothing to see here, move along….

Just got the new laptop from Worst Buy. And I’m impressed overall with it. I got an HP factory refurbished model to save a few dollars on the price. My mother had an HP laptop and it completely died on her, so she gave it to me (it was the subject of a couple of postings to this blog, but I couldn’t get it to work. Eventually I just recycled it. I’ve bouncing back an forth between Linux and Windows for the big tower, but my main stumbling block was blogging software. Windows has Windows Live Writer, by far the best blogging software. Ever. (and that says much given my opinion of The Anti-Christ). But I think I’ve found my solution. Forget blogging from my Linux machine, and just use the laptop. It even came with Windows Live Writer preinstalled…

BTW, Hello World.

A solution to my Linux blogging problem.

It's called Scribefire. I used to use it before Windows Live Writer. I'd rather use blogilo, but Google can't pull their heads out of there asses. I really don't give a flying fuck about their new 'features'. If it breaks what's already working, then you're not doing it right...

A definite no go…

Ok, for some reason, I cant Blogilo (the KDE blogging client) to connect with this blog. That’s a definite no-go for me. If I’m going to Linux, then I’m going to blog from it. I’ve tried everything. I even tried the 2-step verification that Google is touting. Nothing works. On a previous install, I got everything to work (this was right before I started having issues with heat build-up).

I’ll try again tommorow, I guess…

BTW, I orded a new laptop. It should be here next week…

Going mobile....

Ok, Google recently published mobile templates, so you can view my blog on a mobile device. I've tried out on my Android device, and it looks better. Though, Dolphin HD has Flash support and it does a pretty well job of rendering the grown up web pages, it is much painless to have a mobile version, too. Now if I can only get blogilo to work....

Hello World, part deux....

OK I can't get the KDE blogging program to work in Linux. But let's give the Gnome blogging program a try....

But, I have Linux installed on my computer.....

Hooray!

It just took a little thermal paste. And learning how to properly seat a heatsink…

But the computer is back to normal. So I can probably put Linux back on it, since the issues I was having were more hardware than software….

On the bright side....

Even though I just possibly hosed my computer, I still have my phone. I can't play MechWarrior or Flight Stimulator, but I can still Facebook, and email (in fact, nearly all of my emails are written from the stock Android mail client...), and even do a little bit if web surfing, but all that gets in the way of what Android smartphones are supposed to be doing: playing Angry Birds....

Well this just sucks!

My previous post about the graphics driver crashing linux may not have been all that correct. While I was in XP tonight, it suddenly shut down on me. I know it's not a software crash (xp by default reboots), so it must be a hardware issue. Not a Good Thing. So, I boot into the BIOS, and notice the CPU's temperature was close to the boiling point of water (twice what the motherboard was...). Pulling the side of the tower off, I noticed the heatsink was caked with dust, and it was pretty well insulated from the cooling fan. So I tried to pull the fan off to get the dust off the heatsink, and I end up taking the heatsink off. I dusted it, and now it's not securely fixed to the processor.

So now I've a computer that won't even boot into Bios. Payday is up tomorrow, maybe I can swing by Worst Buy and get some thermal compound. Or barring that, I can start sucking up for a new computer...

Lesson of the Day is:

Video issues are a pain in the arse no matter what your operating system. I noticed this yesterday when I was trying to surf Wookiepedia and watch game 7 (btw, nice way to choke it, Vancouver…). And my system all of the sudden just turned off on me. So I power it back up and it happened again. So I spent the rest of my night in windows. This afternoon, I boot into Linux, and almost the same thing happens. Rebooting, I try to open the Catalyst software to see if there’s a graphic setting to change and it happens again. Ok, I don’t have the expertise yet to troubleshoot a balky linux video issue, so I just wiped the whole lot. I’ll stick with Windows for now. At least I think I can pretend I know what I’m doing….

Hello World!

Installed SuSE. Configured Hardware (that was a nightmare, but I figured it out). Configured Firefox and Thunderbird (for the most part, I'll just install the extensions as I need them).

The one last thing was to check the online repository for a blogging client. And they have one. So, Hello World. This is coming to you from a Linux computer. If I wanted to, I could never go back to windows again. Though that'll seem unlikely, since I'm not advanced to run MechWarrior or Flight Simulator under wine..

Giving a penguin/lizard another try....

It has taken multiple attempts, but I think I've finally figured out OpenSuSE and its installation. Yes I'm trying linux again. On my previous attempt this spring, my main concern was my tv tuner. As in it worked fine in Windows, but Linux wouldn't even recognize that I even had one. My solution was to pull my old tuner from my other computer and put it in. Windows initially recognized both cards, but to avoid a resource conflict, I disabled the second tuner in windows. A three-way splitter insures a signal to all the tuners from my cable box.

Ok, so if you want to install OpenSuSE Linux on my computer, experience has taught me a few insights:

1. Make sure you have enough space partitioned for your root partition. You'll use up a lot of space if you do a pack-rat installation like im prone to do.

2. Do your initial install off the DVD only. Inevitably, you're going to hose it within the first five minutes, and this'll at least save you some bandwidth (Comcast does meter service....).

3. Once you install, before you do anything else, configure the tv tuner. And then make sure you save the configuration. Then you add the online repository (I prefer http://ftp.osuosl.org). Normally, instinct tells me to instal the video driver first, but for some reason, the tuner won't work any other way.

4. Note you can install the Catalyst driver. Unlike windows, this'll take a few restarts to fully configure, and even then, one has manually edit the xorg.conf file. But that is a whole other post.

But in the end, after all the trouble, I'll have my system with a full dual display, a working tv tuner, and a printer. And it'll do anything that I could do in windows.

And one last thing: to reboot into windows, you have to turn the computer off, then unplug the network cable, then turn the power strip off and on, then reconnect the network cable, and power it on. This because of a known issue with my network card. And since I've an integrated lan adapter in my motherboard, I'd basically need to buy another computer to fix it, and I don't have enough money (my brother was actually the one who put up the money to buy it)...

Do try this at home....

Angry Birds Live.

Edit: ok, so there was supposed to be a link there. I'll fix it later, I'm on my phone right now. Apparently, blogger for android can let you do links, but I can't get out to work, and I have to get too early tomorrow to care. Later, gentles.

It’s not all that difficult….

To migrate from WinXP to Win7. I just did it tonight. My former district manager bought his wife a new laptop with Windows 7 and yours truly was tasked with moving her in to it. Which is kind of easy once you figure out that you don’t need to use the WinXP files and settings transfer wizard (oh, and the fact that both there laptops are now wi-fi connected and networked helped….).  He usually pays in kind (dinner and a beer). Tonight, it was Red Robin, where they have Guinness on tap. Yes, I’m in my 30’s, and I just had my first real pint… He also gave me his old windows 98 box. I should probably fire it up. I have a few old games that XP won’t play well with….

Its been about two weeks...

Since I had the MyTouch 4G. The only real course when I realized it may have a defective chip in out read to return it (I was still will within my 'cold' feet period, and I was able top restore it back to stock condition, so that wasn't too difficult). Now I've done my research (which I should've done beforehand), and my options are thus:

1. Just but another mytouch, but get the insurance plan with it. It'll even cover it if and when I root the phone...

2. Wait for the HTC Sensation. I'm really impressed with it's potential, but not the signed/locked system. However HTC has announced that they will no longer be locking bootloaders...

3. Wait for the MyTouch 4G slide. At the very least, when this comes out they should drop the price on the MyTouch 4g....

Decisions, decisions....

Isn't it a little ironic....

That Jack Kevorkian died. From natural causes....

After a few days with the new phone....

Overall, I think this will be worth it in the long run. The MyTouch 4g phone has either one of two chipsets in it. One works fine, the other one is apparently defective, and will eventually fail and brick your phone if you constantly flash your ROM. I have the apparently defective chipset in my phone. As far as I can tell, it can still work. Provided I don't flash any software. So I'm going to use the stock Rom for now. Not that there's anything wrong with it. And I have more than enough memory for all the apps I could want. The main irritating bug I've found is the music player: I can't get the remote control on either of my headsets to work. But that was solved easily: install Songbird from the market.....

Off to work

And as usual, there's a bright yellow UFO in the sky. Oh well. At least the AC will be on aboard the Soundtransit bus...

Star Blazers on tv again...

I grew up watching Star Blazers. Between the local tv here in Tacoma, and the Army controlled tv in Germany (at the time in Germany, the only English-speaking tv station was run by the US Army. Fortunately for me, the GI responsible for programming was an anime fan, so I saw the good stuff when I came home from school). And now the ScfFy channel has Star Blazers. Yes, the animation is crap (this was the late '70s, mind you), and the plots may be a little thin (iirc, this originally was a japanese feature film that they stretched into a full blown series....), and the dialogue is definitely dubbed.... But it is still a classic, and is worth watching....

Now somebody needs to air Guyking and Grandizer.....

Hey Igwanarob, want a phone?

I finally gave into temptation. I got a MyTouch 4G. I’m very much impressed with it. The Internet connection is as almost as fast as my apartment’s Wi-Fi. That in an of itself makes it worth it. Then there’s the Android. Unlike my previous phone, this was designed from the start for it, so there’s no having to go through three different steps to load a good build on it.

Then again, with my HD2, all the android build were rooted from the get-go. I have to manually root this phone, and there goes  the warranty if i do. Well, I think I know what I’m doing, and I’m sure if I muck it up too much, I can put a stock ROM back on, besides, I know how to back-up.

So, Igwanarob. Would you like a slight used HTC HD2? I have confirmed that it runs windows mobile quite well (and ENERGY is still cooking ROMS for it). And you can run android (in fact you can dual boot pretty well). I’ve also heard rumors that you can run windows phone 7 on it, but why would one do that. It’s like escaping the mousetrap to run into the arms of the cat…

Ok, last time I will tell you!

If you go barefoot and paint your toenails black, you’ll be able to walk down the side of a building:

And was that Greta van Susteren making a cameo?

It’s all about the internet security….

I currently use AVG for internet security (along with a hardware firewall/router). There’s also Microsoft Security Essentials. Both are free. Both work. There are also some others out there. But they pale in comparision to what you really need for internet protection. You’ve got malware & virus protection, but what’s protecting you from The New World Order (Mind-Control Division). What you need is a good AFDB:

Always wear your afdb, or you’ll end up like Napoleon:

Happy National Drink Guinness Day

So today is Cinco de Mayo. An alleged Mexican holiday that is celebrated more by white people in America than Mexicans. Basically it commemorates a battle fought against the French in a war that the Mexicans eventually lost. Its not that big of a holiday in Mexico. Their big national holiday is the Grito de Dolores, sometime in September...

So, it is said that Cinco de Mayo is best celebrated by drinking Corona. I don't think so. Corona = Bottled Urine. Then I think back to two years ago. When I basically had my first Guinness. So, if you celebrate it today, first look it up and learn about the history. Then go have a pint...

BTW, this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the Civil War going on at the time (Google the Monroe Doctrine...). The French, of course, probably have a different of view on this. The action that the Mexicans commemorate is also commemorated by the French Foreign Legion as a solemn occasion, where they essentially affirm that they won't back down. The French Army may be a bunch of Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys, but the French Foreign Legion is where the real balls are....

I hope you enjoyed it

I hope you enjoyed the bright yellow ufo that greeted Washington State this weekend. I of course, had to work. All weekend long. But ires all back to normal this morning. The rain is back. And I have to work. Which means the dart is going to suck. I'm so used to Mondays off.

Good Morning, gentles...

Pierce Transit are liars!

First they say that they have to drastically reduce service, cutting over a third of there service (mostly the routes that I have to take to work). But they're still buying new buses. The drivers routinely flout the laws of the road (I can't tell you the times I couldn't cross at the marked crosswalk because the bus was standing in it). I've also seen drivers threaten passengers with an extended denial of service for having the gall to wish the driver a nice day. I've given up on complaining to Pierce Transit about this. Their customer service is dev/null. They just need to fold and stop glutting themselves off of our tax dollars.

Soundtransit is funded differently, and they still rock.

Osama dead

Bin Laden is no more. I’ve been trying to think of what the implications of this are, and to sort my own opinion out on this, but words fail me. All I’ll say is that he can no longer perpetrate evil anymore.

And I don’t think there will be a Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory in your afterlife, Osama…

EDIT:

I saw this posted on as somebody’s facebook status today. And it had been reposted before, apparently. I feel it’s worth sharing, and it sorts out how I feel on it:

”I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that”

Violence. Is. Evil. Period. It doesn’t matter who does it, or for what it is done. It’s evil. If you resort to it, then you’re no better than your enemies.

3-0…

The Sounders won 3-0. Since Zakuani broke his leg, the Sounders have shut out their opponents. Mullan got off too easy, with only a 10 game suspension. When Zakuani might be out for the rest of the season. I think making his suspension last as long as Steve is out is more appropriate. Or better yet, make Colorado play shorthanded until he comes back…

The Mariners have been rather hot of late. They swept Detroit. In Detroit. (yes, it’s Detroit, mind you, but a win is a win). And they’ve won 2 so far in Boston (sorry Brother Charles). There still might be ho[e for the Seattle sports scene…

And allegedly, there was a wedding in London this well. You’ve probably seen or heard something of it, so I’ll hold my peace on it….

Time once again to put my full 90 in….

MLS season started a few weeks ago. But I’ve usually worked during the matches, so I couldn’t see them. And I just saw Steve Zakuani break his leg. Not a good thing. Obvious Red Card. And I think somebody will be getting a lighter wallet, and more likely than not, a extra vacation….

Edit: Freddy Montero just ended his drought.

Edit #2: Freddy’s 1 was all they needed. 1-0 victory.

They're back at their old form...

The Mariners are still in their old form. Unfortunately, this doesn't bode well. In fact, they're even worse than before. It used to be they'd gain the lead, only to have the bullpen choke it in the final innings. Now they're just getting their asses kicked outright completely....

It's about that time again...

I just wiped the hard drive. Again. I know of no virus that can survive a format c: command. I don't think I had a virus this time, I just wanted to clean up. This time, but I did not a little bit more planning, and I did my back-up in heirarchal format. So hopefully, all I'll need to do is to copy my d drive to my c drive... As for emails and blog entries and the like, my Android Powered HD2 handles that quite nicely (and the kick-ass Blogger app that Google puts out doesn't hurt that much, either....)

In a totally unrelated story, I finally got rid of my MySpace page. Of I want to follow a musician or a celebrity, Facebook works just as well. It seems that MySpace is now more populated by stslkers, spammers, and pedophiles than by actual human beings. I have to give props to them though, for being speedy and thorough in nuking offending accounts. I'm beginning to realize that the MySpace Mating Calls I've occasionally recieved were probably spammers. Or worse. But I had long ago figured out that you take anything you see on the Internet with a grain of salt, like the actual existence of Belgium...

Elton on SNL….

Elton John is hosting tonight’s episode of SNL. Ok, I know Elton John is gay. The monologue is kind of like beating a dead horse. Though most of the sketches kept the gay references to a minimum. And then they did the Silver Screen sketch. And I didn’t know the queen of England and Prince Philip played punk that well…

All and all, worth seeing…

EDIT: I shouldn’t have posted this before the gay cowboy sketch. Funny, though, again it beats a dead horse…

Am I the only one…

Am I the only one who sees the irony of the Mariners starting the season on April Fools’ Day. Somebody should tell them that April Fools’ is only for one day, not the entire season.

On the bright side, hats off to Felix Hernandez.  A 6-2 victory tonight. And a complete game. The first time in 35 years. I hope this bodes well.

BTW, Igwanarob, the Yankees still suck…

Once again, I have to announce this:

The Spaghetti Harvest is in:

I hope it’s a bumper crop….

Ramen. What would I be if I didn’t even mention the Flying Spaghetti Monster…

And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving company….

Sbarro is going to file bankruptcy. If you remember my last post about Sbarro (here if you can’t remember), you’ll know that I don’t have the highest opinion of them. Good Riddance to them, the stealing, free-loading assholes…

Even when they weren’t trying to shake me down, their pizza tasted like cardboard. With tomato sauce that tasted like unsweetened kool-aid. And it was expensive (even considering how it was just mall food court fair).

It’s here.

Firefox 4 is out. I highly recommend it. It does seem faster than previous versions.  It is certainly better than Internet Explorer. I’ve been using the public beta for about the past month, and while I’ve been impressed with the overall performance, I was having a few issues with the extensions. I ended up getting rid of quite a few of them that didn’t work.  There are a couple of others that aren’t being updated fast enough, but i figured out how to make them work (hint: the .xpi file that the extension comes as is a .zip file. You can can simply unzip it, and there is a certain file that you can open in your favorite text editor and you can change the maximum Firefox version…) I don’t have the specifics now on how to do it. Maybe later, I’ll post it…

Firefox is available in a mobile version (for Android). I used to try it, but I found for Android, your best bet is Dolphin Browser HD. Not as many plug-ins as there are for Firefox, but it gets the job done (in fact, my boss thinks it’s even faster than his iPhone, which says something since my phone isn’t even supposed to run Android….). For those of you stuck with a Windows Mobile 6.x device, I’d have to go with Opera 10. Or better yet, get a new phone….

I know it’s late to comment on it, but…

The Huskies are out of the dance. I was at work at the time, but I followed it on my phone (my boss hath decreed no internet for personal use at work, but he shouldn’t put me on the schedule for major sporting events if he wants me to follow that… And Gonzaga got eliminated to. By BYU. Gonzaga is run by the Society of Jesus (who just so happen to be the largest Catholic order around). The Jesuits got beat by the Mormons. And to further add to the humiliation, BYU is more known for football (in fact they’re more of a quarterback factory). And they were beat by a team that didn’t even have it star player… But BYU just got eliminated tonight by UConn.

I’m now no longer officially interested in the Final Four…

And lo1 The Noodly Appendage reaches out again…

The Noodly Appendage has reached forth and called home Elizabeth Taylor. May she frolic forever in The Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory. Ramen.

To be honest, I never really did care for her on the silver screen. But I will always remember her for her role as the voice of Maggie Simpson when she spoke her first word. She was as well known for off-the-screen antics as her on the screen performance. Think about it. Without her and Richard Burton, Cleopatra would’ve been the Ishtar of the early ‘60s….

Let's go dancing

I was st work when this happened yesterday, but the UDub won the PAC-10 tournament, giving them an automatic trip to The Big Dance. Gonzaga got one, too. I have never really followed basketball in any form, college or otherwise, but it is nice to see one (even two) sports teams in the Pacific Northwest show some consistency. And wining records aren't that bad either....

The NFL has gone from the National Football League to the No Fun League. A lockout has been imposed, the players' union has decertified, and lawsuits have been filed. Player vs. the Team Owners. Both parties are at fault on this one. No matter who wins, it's the fans who are going to lose. Take a page from the NHL. They canceled an entire season a few years back, and I dont think they'll ever recover fully. Everyone involved needs to get rid of their ego....

Into the kitchen, boy....

Edit: I never thought I'd see the day, bought tonight Blogger for Android is easier to post to than Windows Live Writer. I don't know what's wrong with it. But tonight's blog entry is courtesy of my phone. And the Swye public beta...

Edit: wrote this on my phone, but links were added from my computer.

Anyway, IgwanaRob once posted about cooking his own ROMS for his Tilt II (aka the HTC Rhodium, our the Touch Pro II), the he settled upon the ENERGY ROMS, which I used for my Rhodium and my Leo, before I switched to Android (in fact, there is an ENERGY ROM for Android, too). I haven't yet found a specific Android kitchen, but when using the Clockwork Recovery mod, I found a way to do some serious tweaking on my ROM. Before it's installed.

I start of with Rafdroid, what ever the current version. Then I unzip the archive (CWM ROMs are actually .zip files). Then I start off by deleting stuff I don't use (I don't tweet, so Twitter stuff can go, as well as most of the HTC Locations stuff). I used to use another ROM, and I liked the skins it used, and so I load those in. And I add some stuff I use, then re-zip and install.

And there's another flash I do for the custom theme, just because I like the flying windows it offers, but I've yet to figure out how to cook everything in at once.

Now, while I'm on Android ROMs for the HD2, I've noticed the best ones I've tried come in two flavors: those that are based on the HTC Glacier (the MyTouch 4G), and the HTC Ace (the HTC Desire HD). The Glacier based ROMs have the eye candy, and generally they take up less space (meaning you have more space to download crap your don't need from the market...). But I've found that the Ace based ROMS have for functionality...

Today's big Linux lesson is...

If you have a Realtek 8169 ethernet adapter onboard your motherboard (like I do), and you decide to install Linux, there's some good news for you. It'll work in Linux just fine. The bad news: when you boot back into windows, it won't work anymore. You'll just get rude messages about the cable being disconnected, even when it's connected. The good news is there's an easy fix: just power off the tower, and then unplug the power cord (actually my setup is such that I just turn off the power strip. It's safer, imo...), and unplug the network cable. Then count to 100. Plug everything back in, turn the system on, and it should work in windows again.  While it is an effective work around and I can attest to that, it is also a deal-breaker for me. So I've wiped the drive that ir was installed on and taken GRUB of the MBR. In windows, everything works, and it works well, from a hardware point of view. Maybe in the future, I'll give it another shot, but I like windows for now.

And the rude message I got from Gnome that my hard drive was on the verge of failure may have played a factor in my decision, too. Il I'll se what CHKDSK has to say for itself. That's why I like to have to two drives in my tower.

I suppose this means I can put my wifi card back in...

Here we go again....

Hello, I'm blogging from my phone again....

A few years back, I was dabbling with Linux, and I even managed to get most of it to work. With one exception: the printer. When I bought my printer, I want thinking of the possibility of using anything other than windows, so I just went for what the Gateway guy recommended: a Canon MultiPass C755. Which is a very good printer for windows. In fact, if you're still running XP or 9x, and you can still find one, snag it. You won't be disappointed. Having said that, there are no Linux drivers for it. I tried everything. So, at the most, the average life of my linux installs were one week. Except for Knoppix. Which I stopped using after 4.02 (something about no longer being able to connect to the internet). Fast forward a few years, I have a new computer, my old Canon went to The Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory, and my father gave me a new printer for my birthday, a Canon PIXMA MP250. And one of Facebook friends needed a Linux Dvd downloaded. So I grabbed the current version of SuSE (yes, I know it's called opensuse now, but I like old name better. My blog, my delusions...). And I figured, why not give it a try. Which I did last night. And everything installed as planned. And then I tried the printer. Canonusa.com are no help. It's either you use windows or you go elsewhere. But Cannon Australia, on the other hand, does offer Linux drivers. And they work. Unfortunately, my first attempt was on a virtual machine in windows, and my virtual machine software messed up my network cards (I ended up having to finally pull the wifi card out). I finally got everything fixed, but in the process, I 'repaired' my hard drive's master boot record, which meant I couldn't log into linux anymore. And I couldn't login to repair it, either. So tonight I'm reinstalling it again.

I hope I can keep this on for more than a week.

Edit:  I think I'm going to have to throw in the towel on this one. The graphics card just can't seem to work with a twin display. Which is too bad. I remember getting 1280 x 1024 on both monitors when I had a Radeon 9250, several generations behind this one. At best, on this one, I can get 1280 x 1024 on one, but only 1280 x 800 on the other...

Edit 2: I think I fixed the graphics issue. Nothing that a root login and a text editor couldn't fix....

Note to my brothers-in-law, both of you

How many times have I told you to stop blowing up your frosted flakes?

I'd say it was raining cocaine, but the flakes were too big...

I’ve done it….

I’m back on usenet. Don’t ask me why. Maybe it’s because I miss my friends from AT&T WorldNet, or maybe whatever…

Hello, Supernews.

And Jamie, this is only a test..

Packers vs. Steelers

It's Super-Duper Bowl sunday. Big fat fuckin' deal. I have to work today, meaning I'll miss the game. If be disappointed if I cared...

This year, the world champions got eliminated in the first round. By a team who got to the post-season with a losing record, who then was subsequently eliminated itself. Tom Brady got a well-deserved beating. So, who will I root for? It's simple. The Oregon Ducks. And whoever beats up Tom Brady again. Although a little part of me wishes the Packers would win. I don't want the winning quarterback to be what most jurisdictions would consider to be a registered sex offender...

Wayne's World! Wayne's World! Wayne's World! Party Time! Excellent!

Dana Carvey is hosting Saturday Night Live. Three sketches in, and he's already done Wayne's World and Church Lady. And is that Jon Lovitz as Snooki? And Justin Beiber making a cameo....

It is night-time….

It is now night-time. I’m putting Craig Fergasun on the boob tube. But, there are probably some of you out there who do other things at night.

This is for you Republicans and other elephants out there:

An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

Yes, the whole purpose of this post was to post the scene from An Elephant Makes Love To A Pig….

Here we go again...

There is no virus that can survive format c:. So I wiped my computer tonight. And I cleaned up my room. It was my day off today. Some may think that cleaning my room isn't an all-day activity, but they've never seen my room.

It's official. My Touch Pro 2 has been junked. Today it went into The Drawer. It still works, though so it may find itself being needed in the future...

Marvel Comics Jumps The Shark! Again!

This might be rumor and inuendo, but this is a blog on the internet, so of course, I’m obligated to participate in the needless rumor-mongering. This isn’t the first time they’ve done it.

The Fantastic Four is due to become The Fantastic Three. Rumor has it that The Human Torch is on his way to The Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory.

But they brought back Captain America after they killed him off (presumably his alter ego is now Ted McGinley). They’ll bring back the Human Torch. The Fantastic Four has to have a Cousin Oliver….

The nature of progress

When I first had cable internet installed in the fall of 2003, it was only 1.5 megabits. And I thought it was the fastest thing. I didn't even have a cell phone st the time. 4 years later, I got a phone with a data plan (just a dumb Samsung T619, iirc), and the bit rate wasn't even 56k....

Fast forward to today, where I just did a speed test, and my 3g is now 1.6 megabits. And I know that is not even the fastest connection.... I think my current bandwidth from Comcast is 12 megs, but my modem caps out at 10...

Location : 3900-3998 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98418,

Its so sad, but behold...

Lo! The Noodley Appendage has once again reached forth to cal someone else home. May fitness guru Jack LaLane (i hope I got the spelling right) frolic for eternity in the Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory.... I don't remember much about him, I only sawa couple of advertisements for his products. But I feel he could routinely kick Richard Simmons' ass. He wasn't about having abs called the situation or being some oiled up hairless wonder who charges an opponent wearing nothing but leather underwear and a cape. He was about being fit. He kept his health up to just before the very end.

RIP, Jack...

Location : Fife, WA,

So disappointed...

Well, the Seahawks lost. You could've almost expected out, being in Chicago and all. But still, to let your opponent score 28 points without returning scoring yourself in the first quarter is not acceptable at all. Ok, Pete got us into the playoffs, so he can stay here another year. But still, we Seahawks fans ought to see 54 pillories in Qwest Field, so we can throw rotting vegetables at the team for there disappointing performance...

But it is nice to see Tom Brady get his Well-Deserved Beating. And I hear the Detroit Lions actually mauled Christians this year (as much as I like to make fun of them, I kinda sorta root for them...) And Favre is gone for good this time. The NFL has said no more walkers or Depends on the field... As for Super Bowl XLV, I shall root for the Ducks...

Due to a shift in my schedule, I may now be getting Saturdays off. Just in time for the Sounders FC season. Time to put in your full 90...

Location : 2822 A St, Tacoma, WA 98402,

Go Hawks, yet again....

They're in Chicago today. I think they have a chance. New Orleans learned the hard way not to underestimate us. And we've won in Chicago this season already. And Jay Cutler is so much of a diva that even Miss Piggy has given him a bitch-slap of late....

And I hope Tom Brady gets his Well-Deserved Beating today, as well...

Location : 12170-12198 C St S, Parkland, WA 98444,

It will be very cold tonight...

It's snowing in Hell tonight. The reigning world champions got knocked out by a team with a losing record in the regular season. 41-34. Drew Brees, enjoy your Tom Brady Well-Deserved Beating. On the bright side, there are now 53 man cards available in New Orleans...

See? Good things always happen when I have to miss the game due to work...

Location : 32263-32399 23rd Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003,

They still might have a chance...

Historically, the Seahawks have only won when I've had to work. The two times when I had Sunday afternoon off were the times when they were massacred. Well, I'm not at work now, but I'm on my way there and therefore they may have a chance of wining today. A very remote chance...

May Drew Brees receive a Tom Brady Well-Deserved Beating. And if the hawks lose, may Matt Hasselbeck get a Matt Hasselbeck Well-Deserved Shit-Canning...

Location : Lakewood, WA 98499,

The HTC HD2 is still relevant….

My first real smartphone was the T-Mobile Shadow. I bought it used from my boss. Then when it broke on me, I went to a BlackBerry. After 2 months, I realized I hated it and got another Shadow. A few months later, the Shadow started showing its age, and I decided to upgrade to a Rhodium (aka the HTC Touch Pro 2), which is what IgwanaRob had when he last posted about it. I tried the Energy ROM’s with it, and I was impressed. Then one day I walked into work, and my boss offered me terms on his HTC HD2 that I could afford (he’d been trying to sell it to me for a while, but I was sufficiently happy my phone that I wasn’t really biting on his previous offers). I was really impressed with the Energy ROMS, probably because Energy uses an HD2 as his phone, too. A while back, I switched my main phone OS to Android, but at the time, I still had to keep windows installed on my phone, as ‘Driod was installed to the memory card, and you had to boot into windows first, the load android. Not anymore. You can now install Android into your HD2’s main memory, and ditch windows altogether. So, I’m now windows-free. And I’m loving it. Though I do keep a recent Energy ROM on hand, just in case.

I, for one, shed no tears that The Anti-Christ has decreed that the HD2 will not get Windows Phone 7. Though our friends at XDA-Developers are working on that, too… Tough the last time I walked the local T-Mobile stores, they were having a BOGO special in the HD7 (which is an HD2 with a different sticker over some buttons, and windows phone 7…), something you normally don’t see unless the phone isn’t selling….

The HTC HD2 is still relevant. As an Android phone. Which it runs very well (even better than Windows Mobile). Probably because it’s the bastard cousin of the Nexus One, the EVO, and the HTC Desire (in fact, a lot of the Android ROMS/builds are based on the HTC Desire, so similar is their hardware….)

RIP Gerry Rafferty

It’s a little bit late, but Gerry Rafferty has gone to the Beer Volcano… For thos of you who don’t know who he is:

Video Killed the Radio Star may have been the very first music video on MTV, but IIRC, this was the second. I first heard it some 20+ years after it originally came out on a mall’s intercom when I was walking though it. As old as it is, I still like it…

UFO sighted...

Theres this bright yellow ufo in the sky right now in Western Washington. I know it can't be the sun because its my day off today...

See the attached evidence. We're being invaded.



Location : 301 121st St S, Tacoma, WA 98444,

The Hawks are in….

If I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t have believed it. The Seahawks are in the playoffs. Even though they’re 7-9 (yes, that’s with a losing record). Now, looking forward, their first game in the playoffs will be vs the world champion New Orleans Saint. The ‘hawks are screwed…. But still, they did better this year than last year. And the year before. Which is good. I like Coach Pete. Matt Hasselback, I think, will need to be shit-canned in the off season. But Charlie Whitehurst is ready to take the lead…

Better....

It was in the twenties this morning. Makes for an invigorating walk to the transit center to catch the bus. Who am I kidding? I froze my balls off. But I won't despair. It'll start raining again this week, and it'll be back to normal....

Location : 200-310 120th St S, Parkland, WA 98444,

New Year’s at the Needle…

I don’t why they do anything. With all the post 9-11 paranoia the law enforcement community has shown, I have to ask questions as to why they don’t do anything about the attempt to blow up the Space Needle every new year…

This year, I couldn’t decide whether or not to celebrate the New Year with Martinelli’s (the carbonated apple juice) or Stout (Hooray Guinness). I went with both. It gives me an excuse to bust out the pilsner glasses my sister gave me for Christmas a few years back… Since I drink Guinness, maybe I should look into getting a pint glass…

Anyway, Happy New Year, and drive sober…