2002 May

I have a theory. Episode I was a stinker, and from what I hear, II was just a tad better. I've seen a handful of personal and professional AOTC reviews, but they're each missing one very important (and extremely subtle) detail. I believe that Lucas has been pretending that he made the prequels an even longer time ago in the same galaxy. Back then, his abilities were not as developed as, say, they were when he shot Episode IV. Now, I'm no Roman mathematician, but I believe that I comes before IV. You have to understand: Uncle George hasn't been working with the Gregorian calandar. Start thinking like a Skywalker. III can still be less than “stellar” and still fit into this evolutionary cinematic process. The Republic had access to all sorts of technology that the Rebels and Imperials did not. Only after Palpatine destroyed the “computers” was everyone forced to fly around on strings and have someone's hand buried up their little green butt. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I dare you to prove me wrong.

Read more on Perhaps?…

To whoever stole my wallet: THANKS! I've been meaning to get a new one, anyway. And quite honestly? I would have probably wasted that $60 on coffee and lunch. I also now have motivation to get a California driver's license; my Iowa one was getting old. As far as the included credit cards are concerned – I canceled them right away. It's a good idea to change your numbers every so often. Oh, and you can keep all of my Safeway points, too. I think they'll be good for 10% off a future purchase or something?

Read more on Wanted: Dead or Dead…

It's kinda nice to watch TV without worrying about something not being done. Of course, some things still haven't been done that need to be done, but… I need to relax. We're watching the X-Files series finale. I think they just brushed of Mulder, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lived on. Until I see the body, I'm not ruling anything out. Hell, they've brought back damn near every other dead person on this show, why not one of the Principals? “He's a clone,” I can hear you screaming. Oh, you just have Jedi on the brain. And on that front… Ben (my brother) said that AOTC was a good movie; he liked it about as much as he liked TPM. Jake (my friend) hated it; he said the dialogue was insipid and the plot was full of holes. I'll see the movie, then I'll read the book (like I did the last time around). Only after I read the novelization did I appreciate Lucas's creation.

Read more on Hot Blogging…

Would anybody please mind telling me what this person is saying? They left the message on our machine earlier this morning and I don't speak anything but English.

1. Girls = Time x Money
2. Time = Money
3. Girls = Money x Money = Money^2
4. -/Evil = Money
5. Girls = (-/Evil)^2
6. Girls = Evil

I needed to find a file in my Inbox this morning. When I popped open Outlook 2000's integrated search panel, I noticed that the font was now Times New Roman (not the usual Tahoma). Odd. I hadn't changed anything recently that would have impacted this area. At least, I never had before. Since I just got this build picture perfect for ghosting, I was a little upset. I did a little investigating and discovered that this area was now “hooked” into Internet Explorer's font preferences. I hate Times New Roman with a passion, so I searched for a way to undo the preference. I compared registries with my laptop; they were exactly the same, yet my desktop's Outlook panes were messed up. I wasted three or four hours on this problem; I oughta bill Microsoft for that time lost.

Read more on Ready To Kill Microsoft…

The gods hate me. As if it wasn't enough to have to reinstall Windows tonight, I just spilled coffee all over my keyboard. This time, it's truly hosed. My computer was going nuts; the USB device connected / disconnected WAVs (ding-dong / dong-ding) were firing in succession every ten seconds. Luckily, it was the only peripheral that sustained damage. Oh, let me back up and tell you why I'm having to reinstall Windows on this new system – AGAIN. Remember that weird conflict I was telling you about yesterday? How I believed it was due to the front USB connections? I don't think that was it. The mysterious video card contention popped up during a USB CompactFlash file transfer this time around. I blue screened, and when I got back into Windows XP, it couldn't start my video card. Through MSINFO32, I discovered a few hardware conflicts. The motherboard's AGP controller and video card were unhappy. Now, even without the Intel Chipset drivers installed, this is still a “problem.” I'm trepidatious about connecting any more USB peripherals to Storm Shadow. Let's hope that this digital crapstorm is behind me.

Read more on This Is Where I've Been…

http://www.rpi.edu/~changb/money_funny.asf

I think we just had an earthquake! I'm not sure, but Gretchen and I defintely both felt it. I've been working on rebuilding my system over the past couple of days. Man, that was weird. Now I have what feels like the “caffeine shakes.” I think it was just a minor tremor here. The news is on, but so far – no reports. I doubt it was THAT localized. Weird. Better than a tornado.

Read more on Earthquake!…

You have to admire Pennsylvania for running TV ads here in SF. This guy is sitting on his bed, looking over what appears to be an acceptance letter for a position at a tech company in the Bay Area, when suddenly, the “Job Fairy” appears in a rear-illuminated entryway. The overweight character in a tutu gives the young man a glimpse of what life would (most likely) be like out on the West Coast: cramped, dirty, and expensive. I don't want to say that he's right, but… he's partially right. Yes, there are opportunities out here, but the cost of living is out of this world. And the jobs? Just as sparse. Anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that Iowa should pay attention to this PA campaign. It's effective. If my career path was any different, I might have considered moving out East.

Read more on Speed Limit 75…

Gretchen's not going to get mad because my towel is on the bed, just to let you know. She's finished prepping dinner – it's in the crotch pot. She's in the shower and it seems as though… yes, I've just received reports that indeed, droplets of water are falling from the shower head at this very moment. Oh, the humanity! My twenty? On the couch with Zero and Sprocket. They'll stay here while the wife and I head down the street. She'll drop me off at Best Buy while she putters around Costco. I'm looking for a new (USB) game controller, and I'll probably end up with a Microsoft SideWinder. And it's not because my head is shoved so far up their ass – it's because their stuff has always felt the best in my hands. And, I'm pretty much guaranteed OS compatibility to boot. I've got a Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (3.0) and a Microsoft Internet keyboard, too. They work, and they work well. I even have an IME3 on my iMac (in lieu of its no-buttoned pointing device). This is my “off” weekend, which would explain today's various posts. Now, I'm off to enjoy another game of Collapse.

Read more on Girlcott…

Pimp-Daddy Ken sold separately. “Now here's a Barbie all of us can enjoy – the Raging Hormones Menopausal Prozac Barbie. Off to update my Amazon wishlist…” You have a wishlist, Christine? I didn't know that. Maybe you need to make a long-ass vertical banner on your site so that people can see it. Or, have Hoopty make a browser for it.

Read more on Long Overdue…

Today it's “Build a New Computer” day in Pirillo Loftland. Unfortunately, the festivities won't start until ~3PM. Fortunately, that gives me plenty of time to head to Best Buy and pick up any last minute necessities. Unfortunately, that means I'll probably spend more money. Fortunately, I'll be able to stop by Peet's on my way there. Unfortunately, I haven't taken my shower yet so I can't go after I'm finished posting. Fortunately, Gretchen's still in bed. Unfortunately, she'll kill me when she sees that I've purchased a new monitor. Fortunately, I needed to get an LCD one. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to convince Gretchen of this. Fortunately, I had a $10 off coupon. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to cover the shipping charges. Fortunately, she'll inherit a larger monitor for her computer. Unfortunately, she believes that size doesn't matter. Fortunately, nineteen inches is plenty for her. Unfortunately, some of you will see that as a double entendre. Fortunately, I meant it. Unfortunately, I meant it.

Read more on Unfortunately…

I have to disagree here. If you want to run over 100MB, 5e is needed.
Also 5e cable is much better for running video signals over Cat5. The difference between Cat5 and Cat5e is less than $10 per 1,000 feet.
So in that case, what does it matter? It doesn't But to come out and
issue a blanket statement that is a complete waste of money, is not
true. In the early 90's I was pulling Cat5 in my house when all you had was
10MB hubs and Cat3 was the norm. I am very glad I pulled the higher
quality cable. When I upgraded the hubs to 100MB and eventually 100MB
switches, all I did was change out the connectors to Cat5 spec and I was
done. I didn't have to re-open walls or pull new cable. I disagree that it is a complete waste of money. [Steve Pierce]

Read more on The Debate Rages On…