Read my words, and take heed if you're with Comcast.

I've had Comcast in some form or another for over the past 19 years. Always with TV at some level or another, and for most of the recent decade, high speed internet. This is my story on my switch back to Xfinity high-speed internet and my xfinity x1 upgrade.


(This started out as an email that was sent to Comcast in an effort to straighten this out privily. It bounced).

3 weeks ago, I decided to switch back to xfinity high speed internet from CenturyLink. I bought the modem from Best Buy. And then I called to set it up. But first, I had to order it. It was next to impossible at first to get a hold of someone (due to the fallout from the Mayweather/Pacqueou fight and the ensuing service outage). I'm willing to forgo going without most of my TV programming for one night, but let's talk about your customer service for now. When I called to order internet, I reached one of your infamous outsourced call centers. You know what I'm talking about. The places where neither product knowledge, fundamental customer service, nor even a basic understanding of the English language are required. I get a hold of one of your outsourced droids, and she asked about how much i was paying for cable, and then proceeded to tell me how she was going to try to save me money. And then she went into a high-pressure sales pitch to add xfinity voice. I told her no. Several times. When she started berating me for not listening to nor accepting her sales pitch, I hung up.

I was calling to add a service (and pay you more money, at full market rate at that, too), and I was driven away. Think about that. Their greed to upsell me almost drove me away from buying (and paying for) new service.

Eventually I was able to get to someone who was a native english speaker, and I was able to order high speed internet, then I was transferred to an outsourced market droid, but I was finally able to activate my high-speed internet.

Fast forward two weeks, and went to the Federal Way Xfinity store. My experience with trying to order high-speed internet led me to check my account to shenanigans. And I talked to Richard Sjouwke. He looked up my account and told me that I was paying full market price for all my services. He then told me I could save by bundling with voice. And this time I bit. In hindsight, I fell for the Sales Pitch disguised as customer service. But that meant I had to replace all my boxes (I also got xfinity x1) *and* my cable modem. I went the self-install route again, and once again got the outsourced rep who couldn't even speak English. With the voice modem, I realized that my internet speeds had fallen to about half of what they were before I got high speed internet. So Monday morning, I went back to the Federal Way Xfinity to return my old cable boxes. I also returned my cable modem (I went back to the Netgear modem that I bought 3 weeks ago). I told the rep at the counter that I wanted to cancel my voice service (I don't need it, I have unlimited minutes on my Sprint cell phone). I was told that I would have to call the loyalty line (here's what happens when you call it), or I would have to return my x1 boxes and have my other dvr boxes reissued to me. I don't think so. I'm not going to call another outsourced marketing droid just to put up with another high pressure sales pitch.

I don't know it their is a double play bundle that can be brought into play. I get the impression that when I went to the Xfinity store Monday, that the rep didn't want to cancel, and was slightly perturbed that I was returning equipment. I get it. I'm a nuisance. I'm an inconvenience. And may I also add that I did reach out to @comcastcares on twitter each time I tried  to self-install, and never got a timely response.

You'd think that if Comcast's customer service was better, if their call centers spoke English period, if they didn't treat every interaction as a chance to foist a high-pressure sales on a customer, if their website wasn't as confusing about what products they offer, the merger with Time-Warner might have gone through....

I know I'm not stuck with Comcast. CenturyLink has adequate service. I can get my video needs through Netflix, Hulu Plus and Spamazon Prime (I have all three). But I own my own modem. I want to make it work. But I'll eat the $109 and change loss if I have to....

Before you upgrade or add Comcast service. Think twice. Read my words and take heed. Have a backbone, and be prepared to hang up the phone if you need to.

Comcast, did I mention your customer service sucks?

An advantage to going Old Skool

One of the things that I liked about Windows ME was the Plus! themes. Especially the Windows ME theme. My first computer had it pre-installed, and I used it for about a year until Windows XP came out. I went out and bought the XP upgrade disc, and did an upgrade install when I first got it. And I lost my Plus! themes (meaning the plus! for Win9x. I had also purchased Plus! for XP at the same time as when I got XP). As my skills progressed, I started dual-booting, and then I realized I could just simply copy the c:/Program Files/Plus! folder from one drive to another. And I could also back it up.

So, where the directory is located has changed, but it still used on occasion. Like now. And I’ve realized another advantage of using the Old Skool Plus! themes: A really impressive framerate in FSX. Though I’m assuming you’d get similar results using any Windows Classic theme…

BTW, Happy 1000th post…

Went to the doctor last week…

I’m a Type I diabetic. I’ve had it since 2002 (initially suspected in the spring, diagnosed definitively in the ER in November). When I first started on insulin, they had me on regular insulin and lantus. In 2010, my the dietician and my doctor suggested that I switch to humalog and lantus. I was taking both via vial and syringe. Last week, when I was at the doctor’s office, and my prescriptions were updated, I was moved from the vial to the pen. THis was something my dietician and were talking about during my last visit with her. I’ve been using the pen for a week now. It’s much easier to dial in the dose rather than fill a syringe. And it’s quicker to take a shot at work. At least with the pen, I don’t have to be concerned as much about being called for ‘shooting up’ than with a syringe and vial.

Though I should also add, that regular insulin (that is type ‘R’) is available OTC. When I got out of the hospital, and the doctor wrote my first insulin prescription and I took it to the pharmacy, the pharmacist at Wally World gave the form back to me, and told me it was OTC (Lantus and Humalog are very much prescription only).

Insulin is good.

Even Roger Goodell wants in on it…

I’m not a real fan of Tom Brady. He is a Man-Diva. Whenever I see the Patriots play, I’m always rooting for the opppsing teams’ defensive linemen. I don’t want him to get injured or hurt. Just embarrassed.  Like giving him an atomic wedgie after a sack… Hurt his dignity, not his body.

You may have heard of the deflategate scandal. And the NFL has handed down punishments. Tom Brady has been suspended for the first four games of next season. I wouldn’t have stopped at four games. Think like what happened to Lance Armstrong when it was finally realized that he was doping (all of his Tour de France titles stripped). He should have his Super Bowl ring taken away. But then again, it does say something that cheating has to be resorted to defeat Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Actually, he should have the ultimate sanction for cheating in football. He can still play football, but he’d be force to wear a Tim Tebow jersey…

Even Roger Goodell wants to give Tom Brady a Well-Deserved Beating.

Violence doesn't solve violence

There is something fundamentally evil about violence. You shouldn't be obligated to seek redress for your grievances by looting a CVS, abd then burning it down. You shouldn't handcuff a suspect, and put him in a police van without a seatbelt (when he's already asking for help), subject him to a 'rough ride', then deny him medical care until it's too late. How is rioting and looting going to make the world a better place? How is extrajudicially executing a suspect already in custody going to make me feel safer? I already know that I'm not going to be calling 911 if I'm the victim of, or a witness to a crime. My respect and my trust are commodities no police force has yet to earn. But how is mindlessly rioting going to change it? How is looting and damaging other people's property (most, if not, all of whom had nothing to do with the original case) going to get police to clean up there act?

The wheels of justice move slowly, but they do move. Rioting won't bring back the dead, nor will it bring about police reform. Violence in all forms is evil, and I condemn both sides.

Violence. Is. Evil. Period.

Another day off today....

Today was a day off. There was a party scheduled at work, and I was invited. I should've gone, but I went in on my day last week to give a gift to a departing coworker on her last day. So today I wanted my day off to be a day off. So I didn't go. While I enjoy my job (even more so since several concerns that I've had with management had been addressed), it can still be a stressor. And I need to distress sometimes.

Sometimes the most important thing for you to do is nothing at all.

The turning of spring….

Throughout the years, I’ve noticed that the weather in March and April are notoriously unpredictable here. Sunny one day, stormy the next. The stereotype is that the rainy weather will stay here up through the day after the 4th of July. And then the rainy weather will return right before labor day weekend (usually on my birthday on August).

The past Monday, it was really stormy. And then the weather changed. The latter part of the week was very sunny and warm. I think spring has turned, and I can now leave my coat behind till fall. I still will wear a sweatshirt on my way to work, and I will always carry my umbrella. But I think the coat can be retired. For now. I hope.

A higher number, but a step back…

Right before my previous tower died, I had installed a Radeon HD 7750 PCI-E video card. When the computer died, it was one of the parts that I took out (I always try to part out my computer as much as I can). When I bought my current tower, it came with an AMD A8 6500, which included a Radeon HD 8570 graphics controller. At first I ran the computer with the integrated graphics, and I noticed that the Windows Experience Index wasn’t as high as my previous computer. So I put my 7750 in the tower and immediately noticed that the Windows Experience Index was considerably higher, especially in the graphics area.

Tonight, I took out my 7750 graphics card to see what the integrated graphics could do. And while running the HD 8570 chipset, I still see that it’s a step back. While running FS 2004, I’ve noticed the frame rate is considerably lower. I’m not even going to try Flight Simulator X.

I guess the main thing is memory. The memory card has its own memory on the card, while the integrated graphics is sharing the system RAM. And there’s also the hdmi output that the card has which my motherboard is missing. Needless to say, I’m going to be putting my previous graphics card back in my tower later…

Hello Lollipop

For about the past week I've trying to upgrade my phone to Lollipop. When I first got it, I tried it for a couple of days, and then went back to KitKat, since that was what I was used to. But onward and upward, so I upgraded. This time, I took some more time to outfit my ROM (like making sure that the Spamazon Appstore was cooked into it, as well as link2sd)....

It's been about three days since I wrote that, abd I've been using Lollipop since on my phone. I'm impressed with it. Since I've put S-off on my phone, I've also flashed the Harmon Kardin dsp to my phone as well, and my music sounds definitely better. But I think the expandable storage is what will make my phone worth it in the long run...

It’s underway…

The Mariners season is underway today. I think they’ll do good this year. After all we still have King Felix, and we did have a winning record last year (I remember when they first had a winning record). As of this writing, they are leading 2-1 in the fourth. Let’s hope for a pennant. Failing that, shiny side out!

EDIT: 4-1 top of the 7th. With 9 K’s so far…

Yesterday was Godless Pagan Holiday (Spring). The Easter Bunny was out and about.  There is only one way to deal with rabbits:

Too bad I don’t always have Brother Maynard with me…

It is Palm Sunday today

Growing up I remember on Palm Sunday (or was it Passover), one of the local broadcast stations would play Cecil B. DeMille's 10 Commandments.

A few months back, I was at Worst Buy, and I noticed the DVD was on sale...

So guess what I'm watching tonight?

You probably don't need to know this...

This is one of those tidbits that you probably don't need to know. But I can down a medium Burger King milkshake in 4 minutes. Well, maybe not four. But definitely less than 10. Enough that I can polish it off at the bus stop before the bus gets here....

Yes. I'm aware I'm a diabetic, blah, blah, blah...

Another Weekend Is Gone…

My ‘weekend’ fell on Monday and Tuesday this week. Which means I worked the real weekend. Not that I mind (in fact, I have long since accepted that working weekends is going to be par for the course for my line of work). But I have to go back to work tomorrow. My laundry is done, the coffeemaker is loaded. And I’ve even broken in my new shoes.

My weekend is gone. It’s time to go to work….

Some new feet...

I'm on my feet a lot. Like more than 16 hours a day. So I go through shoes a lot. Sometimes I'll find just the right shoe, and I'll be able to wear it for 6+ months. Then there are other times when I immediately start thinking about replacing them as soon as I put them on. My last pair of shoes as like that. As soon as I got them on, abd I went through my first day at work, I had a problem. Eventually, I was able to tough it out via double-socking. Finally, my shoes wore out to the point that I was in pain from the time I put them on in the morning to the point I took them off. So I finally bought a new pair of shoes Sunday. I waited a day for my feet to recover, but once I put the on, there was no pain. So far, I'm impressed. I just hope I get more than three months' wear out of them...

Happy Tuesday People!

I’m not Irish. I’m not Catholic. And I quit drinking quite some time ago. So today is Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday. Especially to all you non-Irish, non-Catholic, sober people. Having said that, it is perfectly alright to go out and celebrate if you so desire….

Just remember that St. Patrick’s day started out as a religious holiday in Ireland, and it was celebrated by going to church, not drinking green beer (and btw, Guinness is not definitely green, and St. Patrick’s color was blue).

But I’m not Irish, I’m not Catholic, and no longer drink. Happy Tuesday People!

About the new phone

Ok, I got it last week. I think I said something about it. I also got a 64 gB memory card for it. So my phone now hame twice the capacity of my tablet (phone has 32 gB on it, plus the aforementioned 64 gB card, while the tablet has 16 gB and a 32 gB memory card). It figures, since I use the phone more than the tablet (not that I’m knocking the tablet. It has served me well, and will continue to.

Anyway enough about that. I got the phone. It has a quad-core 2.5 gHz processor (which is what I was running on my previous phone when I over-clocked it). My previous phone (HTC One M7) never had any issues with lag even when not overclocking it, so that’s not an issue. The main issue with my previous phone was space. 32 gB is normally plenty of space for one’s phone, but when you put the entire system on it, plus your apps, and then your music library, you can run out really quick. But with the memory card, I can go to town at Google Play, and still have space for my entire music library, and be able to download a movie or two).… I should point out, that my phone has more storage than my first computer, even after my first two hard drive upgrades….

As for software, as soon an I got it, I had it unlocked, rooted, and s-off’ed (all of which were pretty straightforward affairs, unlike when I s-off’ed my EVO 3D). It was a little bit more expensive than previous times, as I had to use Sunshine since there was no other way. And there are certain things that are just too darn hard to flash with just only unlocked phone. I immediately flashed Lollipop to it (I prefer to use the Venom ROMs, which is also what I usually ran on my previous phone). But after a few days, I went back to KitKat, just because that was what I was used to. I may go back to Lollipop in the future, but I’ll go with what I’m familiar with for now (the ROM developers are on XDA, and I have donated to them. Twice.

So far, I’m happy with the new phone. It does have an all-metal unibody construction, though I never notice it, as I keep it in an Otter Box. It is always better to smash the $30.00 case than the $700.00+ phone….

Some adventures online….

I’ve ordered a new phone. I’m getting an HTC One (M8). My previous phone still works pretty well, but there are issues with running out of space. So I’m getting a phone with a memory card slot. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it doesn’t have to be. Considering how it will be rooted, unlocked, and a custom ROM will be loaded on to it as soon as I get home, I’m not really concerned about being the bleeding edge… I also ordered 2 cases and a memory card for it. The cases have already arrived. I also ordered a memory card for it (after all, it does a slot for it). It should arrive next week.

Now all I need is the phone….

Some wisdom learned recently….

Never underestimate the power of hello. You can say that you’re free, but in reality you may just be fettering yourself even more.

I may not be free, but I’m at peace in certain matters tonight. What I thought were my dreams may not come true, but I still have a friend. You may not like reality, but you have to make peace with it. Dreams can be a good thing. They can give you goals to reach for. But you have to prepare yourself for failure. And you have to learn to bounce back from it. My heart has been broken, but I’ll learn wisdom from it.

Like I said, there are certain matters that I’ve made peace with now. Tonight, I can sleep with the just.

About that last post….

Some of you may coming here searching. Sorry, I deleted it. For some reason, I just didn’t feel right about it. Maybe it could’ve been TMI. Or what I’d written wasn’t really what I wanted to express. Anyway, it’s now gone…

I don't know why I'm doing this

I'm once again trying Linux. I know from previous experience via a live cd that they don't have drivers worth snot for my tower. But there is VMWare player. Yes, I will miss my previous tower, and being able to run it without vm software. But I have to play the hand I've been dealt.

At least with a vr, I don't have to nuke a hard drive or my tower. But I still feel like a glutton for punishment at times...

I don't know why I'm doing this but here we go. Again.

Way too much stuff….

Once upon a time, I could back my data up on CD-ROM. Those days are long past. Then I got a DVD burners. From about 20+ cd’s to 4-5 DVD’s. Then (at the time I was wiping my system once a week, trying new things out) I just started using my second hard drive. At first everything fit all fine and dandy on a 30 gB hard drive. The only issue was that this was an internal hard drive, so if I got a virus, I could still lose all my data on it. Then the 30gB became an 80 gB. Then my first computer died, and I got a second one with a 250 gB drive. And I used a 160 gB as my back up drive (it was still an internal hard drive, but this time I made sure to disconnect when I wasn’t backing things up, or accessing a back up…). Then I got my 1tB hard drive and my 250 gB became my backup. Then I finally bought a usb hard drive enclosure, so I could have my back-ups physically disconnected from the tower when they’re not needed. And along the lines I bought another 1 tB hard drive just for back up.

Last night, I did a system back up, storing all my essential files to my usb hard drive. What was once only 7 gB’s is now 431 gB’s.

Man, I have way too much crap….

Me Vs. Reality…

Since I’m home from work sick today, I think I’ll write some here….

Reality and I have never been the best of friends (in fact this post is more of me expounding on this). In some form or another I’ve always had some sort of dream in my head. Sometimes these took the part of a science fiction superhero (like you’d find in a comic book). Or I’d daydream about having billions of dollars. Sometimes it could just be a simple thing as having an annoying coworker/manager fired and frog-marched off the premises at work. But they’re just dreams (or fantasies). Sometimes they can be good. They can give you a goal to work for. Some are so far fetched from reality that they really only serve as entertainment value. Then there are the dreams that are close to reality, but not quite. They can be subtle. You can think that the goals needed to attain them can be realistic. It may be just that one obstacle that you need to overcome, but it’s just barely unrealistically out of your reach. But what is really happening is that your dreams have become your Reality. You’re so caught up on this one issue that you fail to realize that it’s more likely for you to wake up and all of the sudden you’ve become your favorite comic book super-hero. And what good is fostering a delusion? Sooner or later it’s going to hit you. Reality. When all the unrealistic dreams, fantasies and delusions that you’ve fostered come crashing down, and you realize that they’re not going to happen. It’s as if your house of cards has come down, and all that is left for is pick up the pieces of your broken heart. There are times when all you need to ‘wake up’ from your daydreams is for someone to tell you ‘no’. Rejection can be a good thing. It can teach you to take no for an answer, to respect others’ feelings (and their space). But my difficulty lies therein. Nobody has told me no. Yet. I keep thinking upon this matter, and my mind is divided into two camps. One side tells me that in the absence of rejection, to keep trying. The other side tells me that silence will be my only answer, and that it is best to move on (after all, I don’t mean any harm & I will still wish the person well…). I keep going between the two camps in my head. Sometimes I go with the former. It gives me hope. Then there are the times I go with the latter. I proclaim to myself that I’m free from the fantasies and delusions. Until they return the very next day. I’ve tried to be realistic about this. To temper my dreams with reality. But it seems like I have to either live in FantasyLand, or I have to attain Kolinahr, shedding my ‘petty emotions’. There has to be a balance between the two. I can’t go living in La La Land, and I’m human; it is impossible to completely repress what I feel. Such is the nature of my quest. To keep grounded in reality, but to keep persuing my dreams. Someday my Realities and my Fantasies will become reconciled. I hope….

Reality used to be a friend of mine. Please don’t ask my because I don’t know why, but reality used to be a friend of mine….

Did I mention…

Did I mention that I don’t like being sick? Woke up this morning with a headache. Usually these stem from caffeine withdrawal, so my first course of action is to fire up the coffeemaker (and to also remember to be more gradual in stepping down from the coffee). Four cups later, and I’ve become The Great Cornholio, and The Underpants Gnomes are now running through the apartment. I still have the headache, and now I feel the crud in the back of my throat.

So I was thinking about calling out. My next shift is at 6 tomorrow morning, and normally the go/no-go decision would be made at 2 in the morning, when it’s not really easy to get a hold of the manager on duty at work. So I’ve decided a pre-emptive sick call is in order. I’d rather have my absence be known now so it can be covered for than to call out at the last minute. My current employer offers all of its employees paid sick leave, and I’m going to use it. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve had to call out before….

Did I mention I don’t like being sick?

Yet Another Lesson Learned

My former boss (actually now a current boss again since I’m working for him once again) has a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S5. On occasion, he has had me root his phone. And usually what happens after I root it, he then looses root the next time he downloads an update. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He usually just runs the stock, factory ROM (I’m just rooting his phone, I’m not installing recovery, nor am I flashing a custom ROM). The main reason why I’m rooting his phone is so I can install adaway and use the HOSTS file to block the ads on his phone. Generally when he upgrades his phone, since he’s just running the factory software, he loses root, and I have to re-root it. Very recently, he upgraded his phone to Lollipop. And so, I was asked to come in and root his phone. Again. So, I got my laptop and headed up to root it. And halfway through the process, the phone wouldn’t boot up. After some digging, I realized that there was no root yet available for his phone (there may be a root available for it, I’ll have to do more research). Fortunately, he is sufficiently computer literate that he was able to recover his phone.

Why am I writing this? This is a lesson I’ve learned since I got my first Android phone. That you never update your phone as soon as the update comes out. Inevitably there are going to bugs and/or you’ll lose root (not that I’m concerned about that since I’m S-off). For my HTC One, I'm currently running Venom. Currently, it’s KitKat (Android 4.4.3), but Lollipop should be coming shortly. I’m probably not going to be jumping at the bit to update it. It’s sometimes best to wait and see if there any bugs…

This is yet another lesson learned…

A sad day on Science Fiction

And in tv and film. Leonard Nimoy had passed away.

It's wasn't till my teenage years that I really got to see Star Trek The Original Series. So my first exposure to Spock was a copy of a copy of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And he died heroically at the end of the movie...

But my first exposure to Leonard Nimoy was a series he did in the '70s called In Search Of:.

He will always be Spock. I don't know if I can add anything else to what has been written about him. Other than he's gone to the great Star Trek convention in the sky...
RIP Leonard Nimoy.

Just a couple of thoughts on a Sunday morning

Note: I started this post Sunday morning. It's now Friday. I guess I should finish it....

Recently, I tried to transfer to location that is more local for me at the company where I work. The reply I got back s that I would have to step back down to part time before they would even look my file to consider it. But I also attempted to transfer last year when I was part time, and I was told to go suck it. So I'm not going to transfer. As for my next plans, I'm keeping those to myself.

The only winning move in Office Politics and drama games is not to play. Yes, we all have our issues at one time or another. Sometimes the best thing to do is to pull the person aside and privately work out your differences. Other times you may need to discreetly tell your leadership about your concerns. But always talk to your coworkers, not about them.

Respect is a two way street, and it must be earned. In life, abd especially in the workplace.

I know I've posted on this matter in the past, but events of late have brought the topic back up again in my mind. Abd this is still my position...

Why does this keep getting longer?

There was once a time when I could sit down to my computer, partition, format and reinstall a dual-boot system (WinME and WinXP) in two days straight. And this was nuking both drives, so I had to restore everything from CD. Then as my system kept getting more complex, eventually I stopped dual-booting windows, and still my times to from initial wipe to finishing the rebuild kept getting longer and longer. Days became weeks. My back-ups became bigger, but with a second hard drive (that was no longer being repartitioned and formatted every time) and my DVD burner, backing up was never a problem for me.

I started this rebuild on December 11. I now just finished it tonight, over two months later. I guess it’s because once I get my web browser reinstalled, I immediately start ‘using’ my computer again, and ‘moving in’ slows down considerably. I also guess that it doesn’t help that I now have a phone and a tablet. Both are Android and rooted (in fact the phone is S-Off). Come to think of it, I think I know why it took me over two months to reinstall everything on my tower. During this time that I was supposed to be working on my tower, I was busy wiping my phone, going from Jellybean and Sense 5.0 to KitKat with Sense 5.5, and KitKat with 6.0. Right now I’ve found the most stable configuration is KitKat with Sense 6. Of course that’s all out the window, now that Lollipop is now out for my phone.

I should also add that I don’t think I’m going to be dual-booting this tower. There is only space for one internal hard-drive in this tower, and there aren’t drivers in Linux for my internal components yet (as learned from a live-cd test). Maybe in virtual machines down the road.

It took me over two months to do it. But it is done…

Finally, a day off…

Sorry readers, it’s been too long since I’ve been here. I thought that with my phone and my tablet both having blogger installed on them it would be easier to post things, but Life just keeps getting in the way. Today is Valentine’s Day, and I was going to help out a friend today, but he said I wasn’t really needed (though I was still welcome to swing by). That and the fact that I have to get up at 3 tomorrow morning to work led me to the decision to cancel my plans today and stay home. Brought the laptop out to the living room, poured a cup of coffee, and here I am…

• About two weeks after I bought my brother a Wi-Fi Blu-Ray player, his TV dies. So, of course, he replaces it. With a bigger set (though still not as big as mine).
• I joined Amazon Prime. I like the free 2-day shipping on lots of items, but I got it more for the free video & music streaming. And I’ll eventually start reading more on my kindle. Think of it as more of a Hulu Plus/Netflix, but with an annual fee, rather than monthly. I also have Netflix and Hulu Plus, and I can follow programs as they go from one service to another….

I was Austrailia Day last month, and for some reason I keep playing this:

I really don’t care for clowns, but in this case, I’ll make an exception…

I am not Charlie Hebdo

First things first, I condemn violence in any form. It is fundamentally evil. Especially in the name of religion. It’s 2015, and we don’t need to come to blows over who has the best invisible friend. The criminals who attacked the office of Charlie Hebdo are terrorists. They are cowards.

But having said that, I also have to ask why Charlie Hebdo would publish something so inflammatory. I like to say that I was brought up with enough sense to respect other peoples’ beliefs and practices be it Christian, Jew, Pagan, Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh. I condemn the violence that has occurred in France of late, but I also condemn the inflammatory cartoons that Charlie Hebdo has published.

My sympathies lie with those who lost their lives in those attacks. But I don’t see either side as being completely innocent. Charlie Hebdo has published inflammatory pictures that I myself see as offensive and I’m not Muslim). And the terrorists decided to use force of arms to force their views on everybody else.

Violence. Is. Evil. Period. But I am not Charlie Hebdo.

A lesson learned…

When I went to Full Time at my current employer last fall, I became eligible to enroll in the Company provided health care plan. At the time, I was using a health care plan that I’d purchased through the marketplace, and I decided to continue using that one. Big mistake. Because my employer had offered more than the bare minimum insurance and I didn’t enroll in it, I’m ineligible for any tax credit. So I’m paying full price for health insurance until my employer’s next open enrollment plan.

Lesson learned: when or if you convert to full-time employment and your employer offers health insurange, enroll in it! I didn’t and now I’m paying the price….

Yet another laptop….

So, last fall, my mother got a laptop. An Acer that she got through Wally World… It wasn’t that bad of a laptop. It had Windows 8.1, which is normally bad, but it also had a touchscreen (which is really the only way to deal with the metro UI). And she used for only a couple of weeks, before deciding to go with an android tablet (she also had a windows 7 tower, so she’s not hurting for a computer, and your truly is keeping up to date, patched and secure). Anyway, she wasn’t using the laptop, and so she gave it me.

It does have its drawbacks, first off it has windows 8.1 on it. But is also has a touchsreen. The processor doesn’t have quite the horsepower that I’m looking for (but it is a laptop).

On the upside, it has all the normall bells and whistles that I’d expect form a laptop. DVD Burner, Wi-Fi, USB (even has a usb 3.0 port). Added bonus: integrated bluetooth. Did I mention the touchscreen?

I shall probably use it mainly as a back up to the tower (a lesson learned from my tower’s failure last November) and for when I need to go to fix somebody’s phone/computer.

Yes, it has windows 8.1, which I absolutely detest. But then again I got it for free. And I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Thank you, Mother.

2014 - A Strange Trip

As of the writing of this post, 2014 has about 2 hours left. Much has happened this year. I’m not going to go into current events that much (that’s what the Internet is for)…

I replaced my phone, my tablet, my computer, my printer, and 2 pairs of shoes. I went from part-time to full-time at work (it pays to actually show up). I made peace with somebody whom I’d been fighting with for a while (forgiveness is always better than revenge). I realized I was in love with someone, laid my cards on table & told her so. In hindsight, I may have driven her off forever, but it was something I had to say. It has been said that the truth will set you free. I told the truth, and I’ll eventually be free. Whatever will happen from this, I will still wish her well. My former boss sold me his HDTV. So I had to get an HD DVR box, and considerably upgraded my cable service. And I also got a Wi-Fi capable Blu-Ray player. Did I mention the computer that died only after I put about $400 worth of upgrades into it? I’ve found the best way to kill a day off is to go to my former workplace, and order a pizza. My best friend in the morning can be my morning cup of coffee. If I don’t end up puking it at work… When I did Christmas shopping this year, I could actually afford to get something for everyone. When it comes to the Christmas tree, Subway Gift Cards are a hot commodity. And my 6-year-old niece can use Amazon…

This isn’t everything that happened this year. But it’s here that this year has been a long strange trip. And, now on the cusp of 2015, I think the next year will be another strange trip. But life is more about the journey. And I will plan on enjoying the ride…

Air the grievances! Prepare for the Feat Of Strength!

Ok, today was Festivus. There was a little bit of the Airing of Greivances, but I’m skipping the Feat of Strength.

Finished my Christmas shopping rather early this year (last Wednesday, to be exact). Due to my work schedule, I was working 6 days straight up until Christmas Eve, and working in retail, I definitely want to avoid the crowds. So this meant doing it on my last day off before Christmas. I did most of it through Spamazon and Wally World. Normally, in previous years the finances were sufficiently bleak that I didn’t give much for Christmas presents. But this year, I am employed full-time, so I got gifts for those whom I’d would’ve otherwise not given gifts to.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and there’s the big family reunion at Grandma’s house. Normally, I ask for an opening shift at work, so I can get out of there early and make the trip. This year (since current employer has paid vacation), I took a vacation day on Christmas Eve, so I can have the day off…

ANd I’m taking the day after Christmas off as well. Just so I can sleep in…

A Former Friend…

This song has been stuck in my head for quite some time. Too bad when it was originally released, it was a bomb. I’ve that it’s meaning is quite close to home. Every time it seems like a have a dream, and I seek to fulfill it, Reality has other plans. Dreams can be a good thing. But Reality always asserts itself. Sometimes you win, sometimes you can compromise, and sometimes Reality just crushes your dreams. But you can’t run from it forever. You can hide from it in your imagination and your day dreams, but eventually you have to face it. And the more you try to run from it, the less Reality will be willing to bargain with you when it’s finally time to face it.

You can have your dreams, but Reality will always temper them…

As the song says: ‘Please don’t ask me, ‘cause I don’t know why, but Reality used to be a friend of mine…’

It’s another holiday

So, Thanksgiving has come and past. This year, I went to my older sisters. Turkey was served. And it was good. Had my sister not invited me out, I would’ve gone with plan b: Chinese takeout while watching Football.

Most people don’t know the real reasons why the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The Mayflower had run out of beer (when you consider the state of the water supply at the time, it was probably a healthier choice).

If you really want to pull a good prank, go to your favorite grocery store and ask whether or not they have any Soylent Green available… Then again, it can be really awkward if they haven’t seen the movie….

Hello World, for the umpteenth time….

It all happened Thursday the week before last. I was sitting at the computer, and it froze. It had never done it before, but the standard solution is to turn the computer off and turn it back on. Which I did. And when I rebooted it, all I got was a beeping tone. A quick Google search on my tablet revealed that my motherboard had most likely gone to The Beer Volcano & Stripper Factory. I had previously noticed that my mom used to use a tower with a similar chipset as to mine. So I made her an offer for it. She agreed, and I took it home. I spent over two hours moving hardware over to the new computer (same chipset, same processor socket), and I then started to restore the OS. At first, things were going great. Then I had to readjust something in the tower. After which I got nothing. No video. Pulled my video card, and still got graphics off the onboard chipset. My mother’s computer would be a no-go and I would be sending it back to her (along with an upgrade from an Intel Celeron to an Intel Core 2 Quad Core and a wi-fi card upgrade).

Back to square one. I went to Worst Buy and asked for an increase of my credit card. And the idiots approved me. So I went and ordered a new computer. And it arrived last Thursday. I got an HP 500-214. Among the specs:

• AMD A8 6500 quad-core processor, up to 3.5 GHz.
• 8 GB of ram, upto 32 GB is supported. Previous tower only supported 4GB, and I ran a 1 GB video card, so I only used 3 GB.
• It had Radeon HD 8650 graphics already integrated with multimonitor support. I went ahead and put my Radeon HD 7750 card in, because it has a HDMI port, and I do see using my HDTV as a display in the future.
• Integrated Wi-Fi and LAN. While I do have expansion cards for both LAN and Wi-Fi, they are all PCI cards, and the computer doesn’t have any PCI slots.
• USB 3.0. My external hard drive is USB 3.0, and I like being able to transfer files in few minutes, as compared to upwards of an hour. And I should also add that I wasn’t really panicking when my original tower died because I had a recent external back-up.
• There’s also a multi-card reader,but it doesn’t support MicroSD, so I’ll use my USB reader.

And there are a few caveats with this new computer:

• Lack of expansion bays. There were only 2 drive bays in the tower, and they were both occupied. I still have a couple of SATA ports to work with, so I may visit this problem later. Or I may just rotate my 3 1TB hard drives though my existing USB external drive.
• Wimpy power supply. Only 300W. This may become an issue with the next video card upgrade.
• Secured BIOS. It took me an hour+ to figure out how to even access it. Here’s a hint: use the wired USB keyboard to try to access it, as your wireless keyboard won’t work until the OS loads…
• Windows 8.1. Windows Vista was WinME, Service Pack 1. Windows 8 was/is WinME, Service Pack 2. It’s crap. And it was preloaded. But HP does publish Windows 7 drivers for all the internals, so it is possible to downgrade to Windows 7, which is what I did. I did make a system restore set before I wiped the drive, though.

I don’t think I’m going to be tinkering much with Linux on this box, as I’m not really sure what the driver situation is going to be. But with a 2 TB hard drive, I may be dabbling with virtual machines instead. I spent most of the day today installing software and patches (I had nothing else to do today since I had to take a sick day today).

When it comes to the customer experience scores, I’m getting the exact same scores that I got with my previous tower. But this was also with over $400 worth of upgrades to the previous tower. And the only ‘extra’s’ I’ve put into this one are the TV tuner and the video card (which is an apparent downgrade…).

So, Hello World. This is my new computer.

Haven’t felt good all day today.

Normally I don’t blog about when I get sick. But today, it was different. Last night, I felt my throat getting scratchy. This morning at about 2, I woke up and realized that I’m in no shape to work. It would’ve been a no-brainer with my previous employer (not to disclose where it was, but it was in food-service). If I was that sick, I just wouldn’t show up (it wasn’t my decision to make, it was the health code). I’m no longer in foodservice, but still I was in no shape to work. Actually if I had made to work, I would’ve been able to tough it out. But that morning commute would’ve been a doozy (4.5+ miles of walking to get to the bus).

So I called out. That in and of itself was an adventure, mainly getting a hold of someone at work. But I was able to get hold of someone, and my absence was duly noted. This will probably be my only sick day I take. I was normally scheduled for the next two days off anyway. I have paid sick leave, but the amount of time is finite.

I called in sick today. I never call in sick. The last time I was sick, I was literally sick (and was sent home from work).

It's all about the integrity people....

So I went to 7-11 Monday night. I switched my items and put them on the counter to check out. Clerk rang me up, I paid and I took my reciept. When I looked at the reciept,  I noticed that I want charged for a couple of items. I could've walked out of there and enjoyed my free items. But ill-gotten gains are in reality losses and not gains. So I spoke up and had the clerk ring me in for them. Yes, the owner of this 7-11 is a complete and total asshole, but my character is who I am. Besides, it's not good integrity that's on the line, it's mine. Honesty never was the best only. It's the only policy. Lie to me, and I will never have anything to do with you.

With that in mind I also voted that night. And aside from the Congressional race abd the initiatives, I abstained most of the races. My respect and my vote must be earned. And if you've did nothing but spout partisan politics, then you dint have enough character for public office, let alone my vote.

It's all about the integrity...

My paycheck is gone...

I got paid today. First thing I did was get on the computer, and started paying bills. All of them. And I paid all of them. One of them was the last payment for my poor judgment last July. I paid off my tv. And this alao means my wifi printer is now paid off as well (it was part of the deal with my tv).

Now if I can pay off $550 in 3 1/2 months, then perhaps I can be more aggressive in retiring my credit card debt. At one time, I was able to pay off all my credit cards. Maybe I should try that again...

I was paid today. And it was all gone in less than 8 hours. But my bills are paid....

More poor judgment…

Woe is me. I’ve done something that I will surely soon regret. Very recently, I exercised extremely poor judgment. I got an HD TV. Tomorrow, I will finally pay it off. So last night, I called Comcrap. And I re-ordered all the premium channels. And then I got an HD DVR cable box.

I may end up regretting this, but for now I can TV on my 60” the way it was supposed to be. Filling the entire 60” 16:9 screen rather than having the unnecessary black bars around the image. Although I won’t be around much to watch it, since I’m now full-time. But that’s why I got the DVR on my box. And with judicious use of a splitter, I can still use the TV tuner in my tower (and I can still add the second tuner card if I wanted to try it Linux again…)

I’m going to regret this….

More fun in the office

Ok, I know I previously said that the only mention of work in this blog would be that I have a job and nothing more. But there have been happenings there that I have to comment on.

Basically, long story story short, is that I’m finally full-time. Even for part-time, my current employer is great, but full-time is even better. No, I’m not going to mention where I’m working at in this blog (officially I will still just say that I have a job. Nothing more, nothing less). But it is a good company to work for. And yes, I still work for the previous employer who fired me. After all it is better to forgive than to seek revenge….

The game last night...

If it wasn't did the penalties last night, it would've been a blowout. But even with them, they still won. Russell Wilson had over 100 yards rushing.  Another threat from the back field besides Beast Mode. I'm not going to mention the name of the team we played last night because it has overtly racist overtones (it's kinda like the n word to native Americans). So I will call them Colin Mochrie. And we beat the hair back into Colin Mochrie....

It's over....

As of this writing, the Mariners were leading the LA Angels 4-0. But there will be no post-season for them this year in The New World Order (Mind-Control Division). The Oakland A's won the game 4-0. Seattle had been eliminated. But let us take heart. We still have King Felix. Alms unlike to many recent years, we're going to have a winning record....

But it still sucks that we're out of the playoffs....

It boils down to this...

The entire season boils down to this game. If the Mariners win this game (and the A's lose their game), a one game playoff will be forced. There's still hope for a postseason in Seattle. Currently, as this post was being written the A's were leading there game, but the trend has been for them to choke it like bunch of Inept Imperial Officers, so the opera isn't over to the fat lady sings....

One can only hope....

Nerd Card +1

It started a couple of weeks ago. I upgraded my video card from a Radeon HD 5450 to a Radeon HD 7750 core. Basically, heat is an issue, and I wanted a video card with a fan in it (and while I was at it, perhaps an upgrade). Installing the card came with its own issues. It was big. Yes, it is a PCI-e card, but it was a full sized card. My two previous Radeons were sized to fit in low profile towers as well, and so fitting wasn't an issue. This one, however, I had to disconnect all of my SATA cables *and* pull out all of my other expansion cards, just to get some space for my fingers. After reseating everything (including taking apart my tower again to put my hard drive cable back in the right slot so it could boot up again),  it booted up successfully. I didn't even have to upgrade or reinstall Catalyst. Then next up was to upgrade the cpu heatsink. I noticed the cpu temperature was close to the same level that is when I bought my laptop. Which means I need to clean the dust off of it. And I figured if I'm going to have to take it off again to clean it, I might as well or a better one on. Again, space was a concern during installation. But, after sourcing a long enough Philips screwdriver, I got it to fit. This was huge. But I can see that my processor is running a lot cooler now. And more importantly, I can now put the side panels back on the tower (my previous solution was to leave the side panel off and point a desktop fan at the motherboard. The new heatsink actually works even better). The one drawback to installing the heatsink s my wifi card for knocked loose, and I couldn't connect to the internet. Had I just jimmied it, I would've been back online right away. But I had to take the hard way, and nuke it from orbit, wiping the hard drive. Fortunately, I had just performed a full backup to my external hard drive earlier that day (and that took over 4 hours in an of itself)....

Long story short, my tower is running cooler and quieter, and abd backups are always a good thing....

Did I also mention that I now have The Lord of The Rings and Star Wars on Blu-ray? And I just got the James Bond 50th Anniversary box set on  Blu-ray?

So I guess while I put my tower back together that I can glory in the +1 to my Nerd Card....

Arrrgh!

There's nothing to really say here. I've said it all before in previous posts. Bye it bears repeating:

Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. So shiver your timbers, buckle your swash, splice the main brace, and grab the eyepatch, hook & the parrot.

More misadventures in e-commerce…

About three weeks ago, I got a Blu-Ray player for my birthday (actually I got an Amazon gift card). But I didn’t get any Blu Ray’s. I wasn’t really concerned. I just wanted something that I could Netflix on my 60” TV. And I found one that could also do Hulu Plus with (I had recently upgraded it). So I can watch South Park at will (and the recent Dr. Who episodes)…

But, like I said, I didn’t order any Blu-Ray’s. Until recently. What kind of geek would I be if I didn’t have a Blu-Ray of Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. I have corrected that. They should arrive by Saturday….

So I wanted to do stuff today….

Today was my day off. I thought I’d be able to get away with upgrading the software on my phone today. Since last February, I’ve been running the Venom One ROM. The version I’ve been using is 5.8, and the current version is 7.0.1. So needless to say, it was time to download it. There was a problem, however. It’s called CenturyLink. I thought I was doing the right thing in switching to CenturyLink. But I now realize I was better off staying with Comcast. I have an issue with CenturyLink. And it’s a big one.

It doesn’t matter what browser or Operating System I use, about every 3 to five websites I browse, I get a ‘cannot connect’ error. I can be using Firefox or Google Chrome, in either windows or Linux, and I’ll have problems. It appears to be a DNS error. Unfortunately, I can’t change the DNS settings on my modem/router. So I’m stuck with the unresponsive boxes of crap that CenturyLink has foisted upon me. And then there are the times the wi-fi goes down completely, and I have to hard reset my modem to get it to work again.

I’ve tried calling CenturyLink support. Let’s see: on hold for an extended period of time. Then I got someone who was more interesting in reading hos script than he was in listening to my problem. He didn’t even speak English, let alone have a fundamental grasp of computers and the internet. But I jumped through the hoops in good faith. All he did was change the channel the wi-fi radio was on. And two days later, I still had the same problem. Back to CenturyLink, and they want to schedule a visit. Problem: they want a 4-hour window. I don’t have a 4 hour window on my day off. I have shit to do (I have a 3-4 hour commute each way to work) on my day off. Waiting around for an incompetent tech for a company more known for fucking up customers is not something I want to do on my day off.

I guess it boils down to CenturyLink wanting to maximize revenue while minimizing actually delivery of services. I’m under contract, and even though I’m not receiving the services I’m paying for, they insist that I continue paying for the non-delivery of internet access.

I wanted to upgrade my phone’s software today. I downloaded it 4 different times. And it was corrupted every time.

Thanks a lot, CenturyLink. You may now resume ignoring your customers.

Once again....

Hello World. I'm underway on Linux again. OpenSuSE 13.1 64-bit. This is the same distro I tried a while back. What happned with that attempt is what usually happens when I try Linux: something goes wrong with the video driver. For some reason whenever I run dual monitors, I have no problems with getting the full 1280x1024 display from both monitors. But whenever I set the system up under Linux, I had some sort of problems. My solution this time was to simply go with just my 27" monitor. And I had my 1920X1080 display right from the get go (even after I installed the Catalyst drivers from AMD/ATI).

I'm still setting up hardware and software, and I'm still finding issues with my set-up, but I think this will be a keeper. But don't despair. I'll still keep windows installed on my system. After all, I still have a MechWarrior 4 and Flight Simulator habit to support...

The first game is in the books

So the Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers went at it tonight. If you may remember a couple of years ago, the Packers paid us a visit, and we won on the infamous 'Fail Mary' at the end of the game.

There was no hail Mary play tonight. Nor the Fail Mary. It was a complete domination. The Seahawks are definitely on the pace to repeat this year. Now if they can only win on the road....

Adventures in getting home

So I got off work late Friday night. I could've caught the very last bus, bit I decided to get a ride. I called a family member, and he said he'd pick me up. I proceeded to the pre-arranged pickup point. And then he called me. His car wouldn't start, but he just needed to charge the battery a few minutes, and then he'd come and get me. So I waited. And waited. And waited. I called him again. Car was still no go. And by now the last bus had left.

Long story short, I had to call a cab. And to get home from work cost me almost $60.00. But I got home. And 1 friend and two coworkers have now told me to call them first. I hope not to call their bluff.

Lesson learned: take the bus if your ride can't start the car.

Just another adventure trying to get home...

On office politics

The game of office politics is a strange game. The only winning move is not to play. Sure, you can get one (or a few, or many) of your enemies fired. But you will eventually fall victim to your own game. This isn't simply a matter of karma. It's a matter of if you play the game, then you're going to get played yourself.

Make peace with your enemies. And if your enemies are your coworkers, then perhaps you should re-think your contribution to the office dynamic.

Play the game, and you'll end up played yourself.

To my former boss (who I actually still work for on occaision).

Ok, so the Raiders won last night. Big deal. It just means their second and third stringers are better than ours. Besides this is pre-season. It doesn't count. When the Seahawks starters take the field, the only place the Raiders are going is down the toilet.

Flush.

ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਅਧਾਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਨਾਲ ਸਬੰਧਿਤ ਹਨ.

Another cover that is better than the original…

It is well-known that Shakespeare and opera are done best in Klingon. But did you know that pop songs (especially Sixpence None The Richer) are also even better when perform in Klingon?

I still got the skills…

I just finished rebuilding/reinstalling my system last night. I started this in July. Once upon a time, I would’ve been able to do this start to finish in 2 1/2 days. And that was a dual boot system with WinME and WinXP. Add an extra day, and I could get Linux working on it as well… Now it’s almost 2 months for one OS. Maybe it’s because I can do so much of what used to do online on my phone and my tablet. The only reason why I even run Windows on my tower is because of Flight Simulator. The only drawback is when I rebuild my Windows system is I also have to wipe the Linux side of my tower as well.

So, the next question, is OpenSuSE, Fedora, or Debian?

So They Won Last Night...

They lost to Denver. They won vs. San Diego. And last night, it wasn't a football game. It was a massacre. Somewhere in the third quarter, Mills Lane ran into the field and tried to stop the game. It was that kind of blowout. The Seahawks punter didn't take to the field until well into the second half. Abd the Bears punter fielded more snaps the Jay Culter.

And I missed most of it. I had to open at $dayjob (which means being there at 6, which means up and at 'em @ 1:30 in the morning). Now that usually means that I'd be home in time for the game, but my firmer employer wanted me to come in and cover the shop for a few hours. So I did. Didn't get home till well after 9 last night. and then I had to run errands at my mother's house. But I did get home in time to sit down in front of the 60" and watch the third quarter....

I bought a coffee maker a year ago, and I have set where it is needed the most: in my room. So when I get up, I can hot the button, and have it ready by the time I scrape myself out of bed. But I didn't use it today. 10+ hours of sleep is a passable substitute for caffeine. And you do have to use caffeine responsibly. After all, The Underpants Gnomes have no place in the workplace.....

Birthday misadventures and e-commerce…

My birthday was yesterday. I received lots of well-wishes from my friends on Facebook. But the actual celebration was this past Friday (my brother planned it). My sister gave me a Russell Wilson jersey, and we promptly watched the pre-season game where the Seahawks dismantled the San Diego Chargers. This was a complete surprise, as tradition dictates that my birthday never gets celebrated by my family. And I’m usually happy with it. Normally, I’ll take the day off, and enjoy a quiet day to myself. Actually I should correct myself. The past two birthdays, my brother has made sure that dinner was provided (I’m always happy with pizza or Chinese take-out). My father gave me a Spamazon gift card, which has all been used up. About this time, I had also been making some purchases (I’ve long since figured out that if I really want something, I’m going to get it myself).

Long story short, this is what I got:

With the Spamazon gift card:

• A Samsung BD-F5900 / BD-FM59B 3D Wi-Fi Blu-ray Disc Player. It has Wi-Fi on it, so I can play Netflix on my 60” TV. There was some initial difficulty in setting it up, as it initially thought that it was still in Mexico (I saved a few dollars and got it refurbished). But I got it reset, so I can now use Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video. Though I currently don’t subscribe to either (that’s probably going to change, though…)
• 300: Rise of an Empire. I liked the original 300, but I’m not going to pay movie theatre prices.

And I then got some other items on my own:

• It was time I retired both Gateway EV700 monitors that I had been using for the past 14 years. So I got an ASUS VN279Q 27-Inch Screen LCD Monitor. Replacing 2 17” CRT’s with a 27” LCD. I should’ve done it soomer. I really like the HD display. And playing FS is going to be a blast with a 16:9 aspect ratio display. I no longer have to use my tv if I want a widescreen display (which is good, as it only has one hdmi port, and my Blu-Ray player only connect through HDMI)… And with the retirement of the EV700’s, I now am no longer using any component from my original Gateway computer that I got in November 2000.

And I’ve also purchased some DVDs:

• Henry V. I used to have this before. Then I loaned it to a friend, and never saw it again. Shakespeare always makes a good epic. There are times in my life when I could use Derek Jacobi to narrate my life. We could all use a chorus… Though it is ‘out of production’ so I had to get a used copy….
• The Princess Bride. A storybook story with the Dread Pirate Roberts, Princess Buttercup, and Andre the Giant….
• The Austin Powers Trilogy. I liked all three films, and this was chance to own them all.
• The Naked Gun Trilogy. I remember seeing these many years ago. This was Leslie Neilson at his finest. Play LA’s finest…
• Robin Hood: Men In Tights. My. Favorite. Movie. Of. All. Time. And to think I never owned it on DVD. And somehow Mel Brooks’ retelling of the story is so much better than the Kevin Costner treatment. Rabbi Tuckman is better than Friar Tuck.
• Spaceballs. When it comes to Lord Dark Helmet vs. Darth Vader, you have to go with Rick Moranis. And I even got an extra copy for my co-worker, Pizza the Hutt (see Rene, I did mention you…)
• Top Secret. A spoof of both Elvis films and war epics. And it’s funny. Especially that one scene with the cow…
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Once again, I used to have this version, but I lent it out, and never saw it again. Now that I have it again, I shall grin, and then feast upon the lambs. And sloths. And carps. And anchovies. And orang-utans. And breakfast cereals. And fruit bats. And large… On second thought, skip a bit, brother.
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Collector’s Edition). I have the regular version (along with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). For another birthday a while back, I got the Director’s Cut of that film, and so I’ve always been on the lookout for them.

Some of these items (like the Blu Ray player and the monitor) were purchases that I had been planning for a while. But most of the DVD’s I got on impulse in a moment of weakness.

I’ll try to be stronger. I promise.

Another trip to the doctor

It's been too long since I've last been here. But I really had no choice in the matter. After my last visit, Aetna denied my claim, and I ended up paying over $600 for a diabetic checkup & office visit. Then United Healthcare decided I didn't need to see a doctor (which I previously wrote about). So I went with Group Health. And it took almost 2 months to get that in order. But today, after numerous phone calls,  I got into my doctor's office.

Health care is good. Getting insurance is a nightmare. But, I went for over 10 years a diabetic without insurance, and any insurance is beget than none....

To the backups go the victory. And hopefully the job.

Ok, with less than two minutes to go in the preseason opener, it looks like the Denver Broncos will win over the Seattle Seahawks. Big deal. It's only a preseason game. It doesn't even count. This is mainly to decide who gets a job fit the regular season. Their backups are better than ours tonight.

When it comes to football season, I've always had a preference for the preseason. Because you're watching people fighting for jobs, fighting for your job period is probably a better motivation than fighting fit a trophy and a ring. I could possibly understand the ring part, but it's not even forged by the Elven-Smiths, so it's not even one of the Rings of Power...

Aren't Virtual Machines Fun?

I use VMWare player on my tower. Because I have really important software (ie games. Really old games) that I still occasionally want to use (play). And it won't run on what I currently use. But thanks to the miracle of the virtual machine, I can have a working copy of WinXP and WinME handy to run them. And since I can run my video card though my hdtv, that means I can run Windows ME on a 60 inch monitor.

But don't worry. I promise to only use my powers for good....

Coffee or computer?

Due to the nature of my work schedule, on occasion I have to be up überearly in the morning. And there are times when I'm too tired to even get to the kitchen & the coffee maker located therein. So last year I bought a new coffee maker. And I put it where I needed it the most: in my room. It was originally placed on my TV cabinet, and it shared the same power outlet. When I got my current TV it had to be moved. The only available real estate in my room is on my computer desk, sharing the same outlet as my computer. Ave knowing how much juice each one pulls,  this choice is presented to me: coffee or computer? This morning I actually realized that I was turning my computer off for a cup of coffee. I guess this is why I have my tablet. So I can blog about my decision of coffee over the computer....

Once upon a time, I had sworn off coffee (most likely an over-reaction to an unfortunate indecent at work, when I ended up tossing my morning coffee and the salami sandwich I had the night before) and drink. I'm giving coffee a try again. But I'm still dry....

A hope for peace....

I'd want I'm setting in the media is true, then Israel is holding to its truce in Gaza. Perhaps it may even be possible for both parties to sit down abd settle their differences peacefully. In this conflict there are no winners. When you deliberately target civilians, you lose period. And that's something both parties are not innocent of.....

Violence. Is. Evil. Period.

Hopefully today will be a better day

Ok, a couple of days ago, I got on the wrong bus, abd I was late to work. Today as I boarded the bus,I made sure to ask where the bus was going.

Moral of the story: You only need to get on the wrong bus once. If at all....

What am I getting into?

Since I got my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (LTE) on Sunday, my old Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 Wi-Fi has been on the market. Actually I only decided to sell it today. Posted it to my Facebook, and I immediately got two offers (the greatest was 2 dollars, two jalapenos, and a loaf of banana-zuchinni bread from last year. But my sister and I came to a deal. And my old tablet has been sold.

That was pretty simple. What is now complicating things is that I was approached by another friend about buying a laptop. He told me the specs about it, and there was some negotiating. And in the end, I made an offer. Which was accepted. I told him I won’t have the money right away, but if he couldn’t sell it elsewhere, I’d buy it.

But I have to pay off my new TV first….

Another reason to regret recent poor judgement….

So I got my 60 inch TV recently. I then set up the entertainment stand for it. Somewhere along the way, I got an HDMI cable for it. The original idea was to get an HD-DVR cable box for it from Comcast, but those plans have fallen through for now. Tonight I realized that the video card on my tower has an HDMI port on it, and it’s within 8’ of my tv. So I hooked them up, and my tower and my tv can talk to each other.

So I now have a 60 inch monitor. I could get used to this. But I can only watch TV, or use the computer with is. Oh, wait. I have a tv tuner in my tower as well. This is going to get interesting….

Getting the day off to a proper start

Well, what can I say? Right now I'm trying to be in my way to work. But Pierce Transit isn't having anything of it.... Took the route 410 to Puyallup, abd has a half hour layover while waiting to connect to the route 402 to Federal Way. The problem is there are two 402s that stop here. One to Federal Way, one to Graham. Guess who got on the one to Graham.

Long story short, I'm late to work. What a way to start my day....

Yet another decision I'll soon regret...

So I upgraded my tablet yesterday. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 had served faithfully since I got it from Wally World. But I felt it was time to upgrade. And Sprint had a special. A Galaxy Tab 3 with 4g data. For free. With a contract of course...

So of course I bit it and got one. I only have 1gB off data a month for it, but that's more than enough for what I plan to use it for. If I'm going to Netflix on the bus, or stream the game I'll do that on my phone (unlimited data). But for the occasions where I want to blog or Facebook on a bigger screen, this will do fine.

Underneath the hood, my new tablet has a faster processor, twice the space as my old tablet. And of course internet access.

And yes, I've rooted it already....

On recent events of late

Violence is never acceptable. Be it in Ukraine or in Gaza, it only does harm. Killing people in retaliation for killing one or a few persons or to fulfill your hubristic nationalist ego is pointless. Sure you can take down your intended target, but at what cost? What good will it do to your cause to shoot down a civilian airliner with almost 300 people on it, all of whom had nothing to do with your dispute? Why do you feel the need to launch rockets on a daily basis into Israel? Why do you feel obligated to deliberately target a hospital? Why do you have to kill over 600 Palestinians (and in fact, kill more children than your total casualties)? I'm not going to take a side in any of these conflicts. One upon a time, I would've taken up a side, but those times have since past. War is very rarely justified, and I will not be an advocate for violence. War is evil. Violence is evil. If anything, I condemn all the parties. There are ways to get your point across (sanctions, embargoes, etc...). Deliberately targeting civilians is not one of them.

When it comes to Ukraine and Gaza, I’m not going to just single out one side for condemnation. I condemn all sides. If someone kills one of your people, and you retaliate by killing one of theirs, then you’re really no better than them. We’re all grown adults. We can solve our problems without killing each other. To quote Rodney King: “Can’t we all just get along?”

Violence. Is. Evil. Period. Any questions?

A replacement

When I got my HTC One last January, this first accessory that I ordered before it was even delivered was a case. Namely an Otter Box Defender, which was purchased from Worst Buy. It works well. I like the high-impact plastic case, the screen protector *and* the silicone outer skin all serve to keep my $600 phone damage and scratch free. I use the belt clip to keep the phone on my backpack’s should strap (mainly so when I’m playing music through my bluetooth, the signal doesn’t cut out.

It did it’s job well. Though through the months, it started to show its wear, mainly from me trying to take it off and put it back on too much. I started noticing that more than a couple of the latches were broken on it. So long story short, I had to replace it last week. But it’s better to replace a $30 casae than it is to replace a $600 phone. And yes, I did replace it with another Otter Box Defender.

This time, I’m not taking it off…

So I got my TV a week ago…

Well, a little bit more than a week ago. I still need to get the tv stand for it. You may ask, what kind of of TV did I get? I got a Sony WEGA. It is a projection type tv. So, it is a big screen tv, but it is also, well, big. But it is an HDTV, and an improvement over what I had before. Down the road this may prove to be poor judgement on my part. I maybe shouldn’t have done it.

But a deal is a deal. And I agreed to it. I may get buyer’s remorse, but I’ll still live up to my end. It’s all about responsibility….

I’ve possibly used poor judgment of late…

No, I haven’t done anything criminal. Nor anything morally compromising. A couple of weeks ago, I got a text from a friend wanting to sell his TV. It is a 60-inch monster. Went to mutual friend, and after telling him about it, we proceeded to have fun mocking the first firend. And then I thought, that I could use an HD tv. And he’s willing to take payments. So I bought it. I had already aggreed to buy his printer, so this was added to the deal.

About the tv:

• I don’t know much about it other than it’s a Sony 60 inch tv. And it’s coming with a stand. We have a 36 inch set in the living room so I know it’s going to be huge. To that end, I’ve spent most of my day cleaning my room (those of you who truly know me would know that this never happens. Today, I threw out a complete computer desk (which I bought from this same person back when I was working for him), and I threw out another tower (a pII tower that I had tried to turn onto a pIII tower, but I never was able to get working as such. In fact, I never got it work for what I had intended for it)…

And about the printer:

• I got a Lexmark Impact S305. Run of mill multi-function printer. Similar to what I’ve always had (like my Canon MultiPass C755 [rip]and my Canon Pixma MP250). Except for the fact that it’s wireless. Once you’ve set it up on the Wi-Fi, all you need to do is literally plug it in, turn it on & and you can print. Which means I could probably have it out in the other room. But I’ll keep here in my room for now. And I really like the individual ink colors. I hate having to replace the enitre color cartridge just because I ran out of one color…My other printer, the Pixma MP250 still works. But I may retire it to in-the-closet spare status just for lack of space in my room. USB cables can only be so long…

Well, this may down the road prove to be poor judgement on my part. But then again, I was at Wally World pricing 60 inch TV’s and they were all over 4 figures. SO it may be a bargain. We will see. It arrives on Sunday…

Forgiveness is always better than revenge...

My former boss may not like this post, since this is being written about him, but I fell that I have to write this. And there is wisdom to be learned. Like the subject of certain posts of late, who he is & the company in question will remain in pectore, though in due time, you may figure it out (especially if you follow me on Facebook). But for now, I'm not naming names...

After I was fired, my first priority was to put out a resume, apply everywhere I could find & basically find another job. I was still hot under the collar about the way I'd been treated, and I was going for revenge, as documented here. I was out for revenge. Almost at all costs. I avoided his store, and I made sure everybody knew why I left. I was right (after all, I had the documentation & I had prevailed in my unemployment claim. And L&I had sided with me as well). And the final piece in my plan was to simply take his ass to court. And to convince my (now former) co-workers to go in with me (even in small claims court you can get up to $5000 per head, which would've been easy for me, as I have documentation and proof of retaliation). But I couldn't. At first I just decided to walk away from it. I'd found another job, was making better money. I'd received a couple of text messages from my former employers, and I just silently deleted them.

But through the months, I realized that I was getting even more bitter over this. Whenever I saw mutual friends, all I could say was how he was a jerk/thief & that he should be shunned. In the end, I was looking more like a bitter, disgruntled former employee. So, I refriended my former employer on Facebook, and started talking to them again. One of the things I've learned in the movies is that hubris will be one's downfall, and I'm not looking to become another Darth Vader (you know, the whole getting your limbs cut off, and left to burn in lava just isn't my thing)... Eventually, I worked up the courage to go back to the store and talk to him in person. Long story short, that hatchet has been buried, and I'm back to working for him on occasion. I'm not going to cut ties with my current employer (after all, I'm making more money here than I was for him, and he just doesn't the payroll anymore). I may not agree with him, but I don't need to argue the point, nor do I need to prevail with him. I know I'm right, and that's the only person I need to convince.  You don't have to prevail in every argument. A friend is better than an enemy. Forgiveness is better than revenge.

Underway on Linux. Again.

I must be a glutton for punishment. Every once in a while, I'll try to install Linux. Usually what will happen is there will be an epic fail within the first two hours, and I'll end up wiping it completely. A couple of times, I've ended up taking the nuke form orbit approach and wiping my entire tower, and starting over with windows and linux. Sometimes it'll last more than two hours, but I'll end up nuking it because I can't the graphics driver to install. Or the tv tuner... But I always keep getting drawn back, called by the Siren's Song of running my computer and sticking it to The Anti-Christ.

Then again, I think I've stated before here that I want my primary OS on my tower to be Linux-based. Of all the distributions I've tried, I keep coming to OpenSuSE. It supports both KDE and Gnome, and I can get it to play nice with all my hardware. I've dabble in Fedora before, but I couldn't get it to mount my windows drive, so I couldn't really 'move in', and it only supported Gnome (if you're migrating from WIndows, KDE is the way to go).

This time, I've gotten past the all essential graphics driver reinstall stage. Two monitors is really important to me, and what has happened in the past is that I could only get it recognize and drive one monitor, or I'd only be able to have the same display on both monitors. Not good. The next things I have to do are install the printer drivers (a little tricky since I'm running the 64-bit, and the only drivers I could find are 32-bit, but I can brute-force it), and the TV tuner (not that big of a deal right now).

So, Hello World. I'm under way on Linux. Again...

So, United Health Care doesn't want me to see a doctor. Period.

With the passage of Obamacare, I lost my company provided health insurance. Not that I grieve for it. The one claim I filed for a routine diabetic checkup was denied due to a pre-existing condition, and I ended up paying over $400.00 out of pocket for a 15 minute office visit (GFY Aetna). So, I filled out my online application, and I qualified for the state's basic health plan (aka Apple Care),  in this case provided by United Health Care. I assigned a doctor (who was not the previous doctor I'd been seeing). They call themselves managed care. It should be more correctly called micro-managed care. I looked on their website and saw that my previous doctor was on the network,  but the website wouldn't completely load so I couldn't do anything about it. I asked online how to switch providers, and I was ignored. They just sent me a new ID card with the sand provider. I tried calling them, but all I got a as a voice recognition program that couldn't understand what I was saying (kind of like a menu where they deliberately how the choices).

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago,  when I updated my income (getting more hours at work), and I'm no longer eligible for United Health Care. I'm still covered by it till the end of the month,  and i was finally able to switch to my old provider. So i call and set up an appointment with him. The next day, I get a call from the doctors office saying that I'm not listed in the system, and that I'd be paying for this out of my own pocket. I don't have over $400.00 so I canceled the appointment. After calling United Health Care, I was told that the changes won't take place until I receive my new ID card, which probably won't conveniently arrive until after I'm off of United Health Care.

I'm a type I diabetic. And United Health Care doesn't want me to see a doctor.

So, it is Mother's Day today....

So today is the day to celebrate motherhood. Whatever issues you may have with your parents, at least take the time to acknowledge her existence and the gave that she bore you for nine or so months, then endured the Hell you gave her for 18-21 years... I say my mom's yesterday, I'll probably be over there again tonight. Abd tomorrow we're going to get together at my sister's for the actual mother's day celebration.

I did do something today as well,  and I would encourage you to do it s well. I went through all my facebook contacts,  abd left a Mother's day wish on the walls of all my Facebook friends whom I know to be mothers. And it just about killed my phone's battery...

To the unknown person…

This is primarily addressed to a certain person. Saturday, I got a phone call form my mother that somebody called her and asked for me. It was replied that I don’t live there (which is true). I called the number on the caller ID, and it was a Magic Jack user with a Kent, WA telephone number. To satisfy my curiosity, I called it & I’ve never had an answer.

So, if you’re that person and you want to get a hold of me. I can tell that you have Magic Jack, which probably means that you have email. So why don’t you drop me a line at roger.a.bryant@gmail.com.

(I’ve no problem with publishing this email address on the internet). It was my reply to address when I was on usenet, and I’ve heared that Gmail has some very robust spam filtering onboard.

May the Fourth Be With You

So, it is apparently some sort of Star Wars day today. I suppose you could reach out to that Special Inept Imperial Officer and Force-Choke him (though I'm also partial to the Force - Bitchslap)....

May the Fourth be with you. Although having said that, LucasArts is jumping the shark in completely disregarding all the canon that built up all the years and in the video games. Episode 7 without Kyle Katarn? They might as well make Cousin Oliver and Ted McGinley Jedi Knights... 

Time for a breakthru

Hasn’t everyone felt like this before? Like you just wanted to make that connection to somebody.

Even if you haven’t, it’s still a good excuse for a Queen video. Although I’ve never had to have a reason to justify enjoying Queen…

So, what has happened this week?

Where do I start? Let’s just pick something and go with it:

• I’ve been looking at CenturyLink lately. Too many time ‘page cannot be displayed’ errors with Comcast. And I have serious issues with the proposed merger with Time/Warner. Less Competition = Higher Prices for less service. There is a story here in and of itself. When I put my current address in to CenturyLlink, I was told that I could get 3 mb speed. But I put the address that the apartment used to have, it came back with 40 meg speed (even faster than the cable). After talking with the local retail store manager, I decided to take a chance. And I’m now enjoying a speed that’s at least twice as fast as I was getting before. Hey Comcast, guess who’s dropping your not-so-high speed internet come Monday?
• If you use Mozilla Thunderbird, and have a hotmail address, hotmail now supports IMAP. Which is good, as when I check my mail on my phone/tablet, and I read a message, it will be marked as read on my computer as well. And CenturyLink has IMAP on their email (though it is not officially supported).
• For some reason, the live chat link on the Adobe Customer Care website is listed in the MVPS.org HOSTS file. I suspect it is there for a reason. They are definitely a special kind of stupid…
• I just had to retire my Saitek Cyborg 3D USB. For the past couple of years, one of the buttons hasn’t worked, but I held on to it because I’m left-handed, and this is one of the few joysticks that can be set up for left-handed use. It’s being replaced by a Thustmaster – T – 16000M (that’s what they called it) that I got from Worst Buy. It’s a little bit on the expensive side, but I got it because it has a hat switch, and most importantly, it can be configured for left-handed use…

Technorati Tags: The Moron-Bots at Adobe,Worst Buy,MVPS.org,Thunderbird,Comcrap,CenturyLink

On dealing with rabbits….

Some of us may have an issue with a certain rabbit tomorrow. May I remind that this type of rabbit is best dealt with using Sacred Relics:

Just because I need a laugh.

After I laid my cards on the table last week, I think I just need a good laugh. Nothing like Tom and Jerry for that:

This is actually one of my favorites. I’ve always want the ability to hock one so powerfully as to be able to shatter a vase from across the room….

An email was sent tonight.

And my cards are now on the table. Let the consequences come what may…

Opening night

And the Seattle Mariners won 10-3. For the past 8 seasons, they have won the opening night. And then they’ve choked it during the season. Seriously, they need to change there names to the Seattle Inept Imperial Officers. I almost want to say that they’re the laughing stock of The New World Order (Mind-Control Division). But then again they did have a winning pre-season.

I should also point out, that while the Mariners historically suck, they still put more points on the board in tonight’s game than Peyton Manning did during the Super Bowl. Now that’s gotta hurt…

It’s here

And I’m talking about the spaghetti harvest:

And yes, spaghetti does really grow on trees…

So, what all happened last week….

Last Monday was St. Patrick’s day. In Ireland, it is more of a religious holiday. In fact, up until 1970, all the pubs were closed on St. Patrick’s Day, and you went to church that day. It’s only in America that it’s celebrated with Green (actually St. Patrick’s color is blue), and excessive beer (which is ironic as St. Patrick’s Day is being celebrated during Lent this year, if you’re Catholic…). I’m not Catholic, nor  am I Irish. So I didn’t wear green, and I didn’t drink at all. I think it should be mentioned here that I no longer drink (alcohol is really pointless).

I’m watching Cosmos with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. He’s still no Carl Sagan, but he’s still making science interesting. The fact that he almost has a pornstache doesn’t hurt either… Carl Sagan introduced me to Johannes Kepler. Tyson has introduced me to Edmund Halley…

I renewed my phone contract a couple of months ago (I’ve already blogged about my new phone). And this week, my brother wanted to upgrade, too. So, he got his latest iPhone this week. And I had to be there, since it’s my account, and Sprint is rather strict about account holders…

And if you’re play Flight Simulator X, give yourself at least 15,000 feet before you barrel roll a jetliner. And while you’re at it, don’t hell dive the final appraoch…

Reconciling with pluto…

A few years back, I wrote about Pluto gaining midget status… Last week on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Neil deGrasse Tyson was on. Neil was part of the committee that relegated Pluto to midget status. Well, they finally buried the hatchet:

This may be just a late-night sketch, but there is a moral here. Always make peace with those around you. You don’t always have to agree with them 100 percent, but just get along. You can have a different opinion than your fellow man, and not have to come to blows….

Technorati Tags: Neil DeGrasse Tyson,Pluto

Finally, something good from the FOX Networks…

I remember growing up in a military family. While we were stationed in Germany in the early ‘80s, the only English speaking TV station was run by the US Army. Basically imagine getting NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS all rolled up into one channel. What it meant to me basically was really kick-ass anime after school and Saturday mornings (I personally salute the head of programming just for that).

I remember this book called Cosmos on the living room coffee table, and I remember every Sunday morning, sneaking into my parents’ and playing the Atari 2600 (with their permission, of course), and then seeing this show featuring the planets Jupiter and Saturn and Stars and such. That was my first encounter with Carl Sagan. So every Sunday morning, I just had to see this show. I was hooked and I was only in the 4th grade.

My father’s military career progress, and we were eventually sent stateside, and on occasion every summer, KCTS would rerun Cosmos. And I would watch it religously. The time came for me to move out on my own, and I saw to it that that copy of Cosmos came with me. I even got a copy of Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan’s follow-up to Cosmos. When Carl Sagan died in 1996, I mourned.

Fast forward to yesterday. There’s a new version of (more of a sequel) Cosmos, host by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I liked what I saw in that first episode, but Tyson has some shoes to fill. It is produced by Seth MacFarlene, so there’s hope of hearing Roger the Alien or Stewie Griffith describe the stars….

And yes, I only used Wikipedia links in this post. Sorry, I’m just lazy tonight…

Technorati Tags: Space,Cosmos,Carl Sagan,Neil DeGrasse Tyson,Roger the Alien