2009-01-30
2009-01-26
RAWR! The bear dings 80.
So my Druid hit lvl 80 about 2 weeks ago. I meant to post then but I'm lazy.
Also, my Paladin hit lvl 78 last night. Should be 80 this weekend.
Also, my Paladin hit lvl 78 last night. Should be 80 this weekend.
2009-01-18
Hamas sucks at math
In the last 3 weeks, 1,200 Palestinians and at least 13 Israelis have died. A 100 to 1 failure ratio and they still had the bright idea to launch a few rockets after the latest cease fire.
2009-01-16
iTunes is bloatware
I have what most people would call a badass computer. I've got one of the most powerful processors, 4 Gig of system RAM, 2.5 terabytes of SATA2 storage, and nearly the best video card that money can buy.
So why is it that iTunes runs like I'm cruising with a 386SX? Vertical scrolling is a joke, and the stupid app takes almost a minute from double-click to load.
If it wasn't such a great store and I didn't care about legally purchasing content that I enjoy, I'd never use it.
So why is it that iTunes runs like I'm cruising with a 386SX? Vertical scrolling is a joke, and the stupid app takes almost a minute from double-click to load.
If it wasn't such a great store and I didn't care about legally purchasing content that I enjoy, I'd never use it.
2009-01-08
My crush of the day
Just watched the 13th episode of Heroes season 3, and realized how cute Brea Grant is. She sells the pixie cut better than 95% of the women that try. This is clearly proven in one of her IMDB pictures.
2009-01-02
No stupid questions?
Here's a common lie: There are no stupid questions.
I recently received an e-mail from my boss asking for an update on a few things I have been working on. Particularly, he wanted an update about tasks that have taken more than 5 days. I didn't know if he wanted to know why they were taking more than 5 days, or if he wanted an update about how they were progressing. The difference is subtle, but I wasn't certain of what he wanted in the update.
So I asked. I guess that I was the only person to ask (the same e-mail was sent to most of us). Even though he was vague with his request, and even though I could see two possible and different yet correct answers to his request, I was the only person who asked. So to my boss it appears that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, because he was not able to anticipate that there could be 2 different yet correct answers to the question.
BTW, he wanted an update on each case that was taking more than 5 days. And this is probably going to be a new task for us to do each day. Just one more example of adding more straws to the camel's back. And then when we complain about our workload, they will point to metrics that show we have had fewer calls than 6 months ago, so we have no room to complain. Yeah, but 6 months ago we didn't have 10 extra daily tasks to do.
I recently received an e-mail from my boss asking for an update on a few things I have been working on. Particularly, he wanted an update about tasks that have taken more than 5 days. I didn't know if he wanted to know why they were taking more than 5 days, or if he wanted an update about how they were progressing. The difference is subtle, but I wasn't certain of what he wanted in the update.
So I asked. I guess that I was the only person to ask (the same e-mail was sent to most of us). Even though he was vague with his request, and even though I could see two possible and different yet correct answers to his request, I was the only person who asked. So to my boss it appears that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, because he was not able to anticipate that there could be 2 different yet correct answers to the question.
BTW, he wanted an update on each case that was taking more than 5 days. And this is probably going to be a new task for us to do each day. Just one more example of adding more straws to the camel's back. And then when we complain about our workload, they will point to metrics that show we have had fewer calls than 6 months ago, so we have no room to complain. Yeah, but 6 months ago we didn't have 10 extra daily tasks to do.
2009-01-01
Details about my 2008 CD
Overall, keep in mind that I don't include songs with the intention of conveying any messages. In fact, I will usually exclude songs because I don't want anyone thinking that a theme was intended. So if you find a hidden message or something offensive, it is probably a coincidence.
01. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 02 - Denial Waits
You are all lucky (or unlucky) that my 2008 CD wasn't just this entire album.
02. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 04 - Forever Can Be
I love the line "We all want... you to see... the you we see". If more people would see themselves the way their family and friends saw them, this world would be a better place.
03. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 06 - Enemies
Do not listen to this song while driving, it makes you speed. This song kicks more ass than any 3 songs ever written. Well not really, because songs like "Pet", "Judith", "Man In The Box" etc, are all about as powerful.
04. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight - 06 - Dreamworld
I love Rilo Kiley because they have interesting lyrics and Jenny Lewis has a nice voice. But this is hands down my favorite song of theirs, ever, and it's one of the few new songs that is sung by Blake.
05. Rilo Kiley - Take Offs & Landings - 03 - Wires And Waves
Just a catchy tune. I almost didn't include it because of the "planes they smash up in the sky" line seeming forboding with Marianne's job.
06. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 09 - Love And War (11-11-46)
I just like this song. Jenny does a good job and this is a good example of how she could sing just about anything.
07. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 02 - Does He Love You?
This song isn't the best of topics, but it ends with so much emotion in Jenny's voice, and that's one of the things that will sell me on a song. If the singer sounds like they believe in what they are singing, I find that to be more engrossing than clever lyrics or beautiful playing. However, this song has clever lyrics and is well written too. I was going to include "The Slow Fade Of Love" because it's such a beautiful song too, but both this song and that together would be too depressing for one mix disk.
08. Cream - The Very Best Of Cream - 20 - Badge
I've had Cream's greatest hits album for years and had never really given this song the listen that it needed. About mid December I was listening to the album again, and was just blown away by Badge. It was written by George Harrison and Eric Clapton for the last album, and is a perfect example of how genius those guys are.
09. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 06 - Keep It All
Since many of you may only know Lisa through her affiliation with Damian Rice (her album was only recently available in the US), I thought that including one of the examples of how fun and alluring her solo work is would be a good idea. In Keep It All her voice is both sweet and sultry. This is singing, something that modern Top-40 sluts could never reproduce. And Lisa will probably not make 1/100th of what those ho-bags make.
10. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 08 - Pistachio
This is an example of Lisa singing light and fun. You should have seen her in concert, she could segue naturally from simple and slow to fast and powerful.
11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction - 07 - I Summon You
I've loved this song ever since KaRyn tried to put it on a mix disk for me (she put 'The Infinite Pet' on by mistake).
12. Paramore - Twilight - 02 - Decode
I bought the Twilight soundtrack for this song alone. It was worth it, even if this had been the only decent song...
13. The Black Ghosts - Twilight - 03 - Full Moon
...but the soundtrack had other songs of value. About 2/3 of them are great, and none of them sucked.
14. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 01 - Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure
This song is from the perspective of a pet cat. It's a sad song describing how a pet misses it's owner after a bad breakup brought the owner into a depression.
15. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 02 - Pamphleteer
Another slow song. I love the part where he describes how he doesn't know what to do with his hands when they talk, and she doesn't know where to look, so she looks at his hands. It paints a picture of two shy people clumsily meeting up.
16. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 03 - Plea from a Cat Named Virtue
Virtue has had enough of the emo and is now demanding that it's owner cheer up.
17. Bury Your Dead - Beauty And The Breakdown - House Of Brick
I am a firm believer that EVERY genre has quality music in it. It is my opinion that if you hate a certain genre, it's because you haven't put in enough effort to find the right songs. However, some genres take a LOT more work to find the good songs. That is why I don't own much country music. This song is a perfect example of hardcore metal that is well played. The lyrics are a bit stereotyped, but the guitar is done very well.
And that's my 2008 CD. If you need a copy, let me know. I can make a digital version available or burn you a disk if you prefer.
01. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 02 - Denial Waits
You are all lucky (or unlucky) that my 2008 CD wasn't just this entire album.
02. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 04 - Forever Can Be
I love the line "We all want... you to see... the you we see". If more people would see themselves the way their family and friends saw them, this world would be a better place.
03. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 06 - Enemies
Do not listen to this song while driving, it makes you speed. This song kicks more ass than any 3 songs ever written. Well not really, because songs like "Pet", "Judith", "Man In The Box" etc, are all about as powerful.
04. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight - 06 - Dreamworld
I love Rilo Kiley because they have interesting lyrics and Jenny Lewis has a nice voice. But this is hands down my favorite song of theirs, ever, and it's one of the few new songs that is sung by Blake.
05. Rilo Kiley - Take Offs & Landings - 03 - Wires And Waves
Just a catchy tune. I almost didn't include it because of the "planes they smash up in the sky" line seeming forboding with Marianne's job.
06. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 09 - Love And War (11-11-46)
I just like this song. Jenny does a good job and this is a good example of how she could sing just about anything.
07. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 02 - Does He Love You?
This song isn't the best of topics, but it ends with so much emotion in Jenny's voice, and that's one of the things that will sell me on a song. If the singer sounds like they believe in what they are singing, I find that to be more engrossing than clever lyrics or beautiful playing. However, this song has clever lyrics and is well written too. I was going to include "The Slow Fade Of Love" because it's such a beautiful song too, but both this song and that together would be too depressing for one mix disk.
08. Cream - The Very Best Of Cream - 20 - Badge
I've had Cream's greatest hits album for years and had never really given this song the listen that it needed. About mid December I was listening to the album again, and was just blown away by Badge. It was written by George Harrison and Eric Clapton for the last album, and is a perfect example of how genius those guys are.
09. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 06 - Keep It All
Since many of you may only know Lisa through her affiliation with Damian Rice (her album was only recently available in the US), I thought that including one of the examples of how fun and alluring her solo work is would be a good idea. In Keep It All her voice is both sweet and sultry. This is singing, something that modern Top-40 sluts could never reproduce. And Lisa will probably not make 1/100th of what those ho-bags make.
10. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 08 - Pistachio
This is an example of Lisa singing light and fun. You should have seen her in concert, she could segue naturally from simple and slow to fast and powerful.
11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction - 07 - I Summon You
I've loved this song ever since KaRyn tried to put it on a mix disk for me (she put 'The Infinite Pet' on by mistake).
12. Paramore - Twilight - 02 - Decode
I bought the Twilight soundtrack for this song alone. It was worth it, even if this had been the only decent song...
13. The Black Ghosts - Twilight - 03 - Full Moon
...but the soundtrack had other songs of value. About 2/3 of them are great, and none of them sucked.
14. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 01 - Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure
This song is from the perspective of a pet cat. It's a sad song describing how a pet misses it's owner after a bad breakup brought the owner into a depression.
15. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 02 - Pamphleteer
Another slow song. I love the part where he describes how he doesn't know what to do with his hands when they talk, and she doesn't know where to look, so she looks at his hands. It paints a picture of two shy people clumsily meeting up.
16. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 03 - Plea from a Cat Named Virtue
Virtue has had enough of the emo and is now demanding that it's owner cheer up.
17. Bury Your Dead - Beauty And The Breakdown - House Of Brick
I am a firm believer that EVERY genre has quality music in it. It is my opinion that if you hate a certain genre, it's because you haven't put in enough effort to find the right songs. However, some genres take a LOT more work to find the good songs. That is why I don't own much country music. This song is a perfect example of hardcore metal that is well played. The lyrics are a bit stereotyped, but the guitar is done very well.
And that's my 2008 CD. If you need a copy, let me know. I can make a digital version available or burn you a disk if you prefer.
Shure SE110 headphones... suck
I bought a pair of these ear-canal headphones and here is my 2 month review. These are in-ear or canal-phones, and cost about $99 retail. For that price they are targeting people that want something better than the stock PMP headphones that came with their iPod or Zune. However I think that both Zune owners have already upgraded. These aren't real audiophile headphones (no canal-phones are IMO) for the reasons I will list below. Most of my complaints are actually problems with the in-ear style that many manufacturers use, and not actual complaints about anything that is unique to these headphones.
The sound quality is very good. Bass representation is very good and is one of the strengths of all in-ear designs. Mids and highs are clear and full, but I've heard sound that seems like high-frequency compression artifacts or saturated drivers. The times I've noticed it required volumes that could have saturated the output of my iPod, and therefore would be unfair to blame the headphones. More testing is required on my part, so I will use the headphones that I use for Ventrilo on my gaming PC, and also plug the 110's into the output of my Audigy X-Fi.
These are amazing at blocking outside noise, which is how they are marketed. This comes at the cost of hearing EVERYTHING that goes on inside your body. Closing your mouth will yield the teeth clicking sound. This could result in you never closing your mouth fully. Coughing will scare the living crap out of you the first time. Breathing (yes, breathing) will be slightly disruptive during quiet segments of your music. Don't bother eating while listening to these headphones. And walking forces you to turn the volume up higher than you otherwise might play your music. You will hear the sound of your feet impacting the floor transfer through your bones to your ears. Normally this sound escapes out the ear and is not noticeable. If you want to know what this sounds like, stick your fingers in your ears and walk around on a hard floor.
The cords "microphones" a lot more than other headphone designs. Microphoning is when headphone cords make contact with something (like sliding over your shirt) and results in unwanted noise at the earpiece. My coat has a zipper, and when the cord moves over that zipper, it is about as disruptive as anything could possibly be.
I keep my ears pretty clean. I go through Q-tips faster than most guys, partly because I can't stand water or wax in my ears. So my ears get swabbed after every shower. At the end of work, there is a light glaze of wax on the sleeves that fit the earbuds in order to block outside noise. This makes an almost sickening sound as you remove the headphones. It's somewhat easy to clean them, but do you keep a tissue with you everywhere you go? Nope, so you are cleaning the headphones on your jeans. If you are adverse to ear wax, you should probably not buy headphones that come with a tool designed to clean wax out of the device. I now keep a small box of Q-tips at my desk at work because of these headphones.
I would rate the comfort at 75-95%. I never got to the point that I didn't know they were in my ears. They come with three sets of foam sleeves (three different sizes) and three sets made of rubber. Like foam earplugs you may have used, you compress the foam before inserting them in your ear. Then you wait for the foam to expand. This means it takes about 10 seconds per ear to put these headphones in when using those sleeves. The foam sleeves are a bit more comfortable for me, but a lot less convenient when putting in and taking out the headphones a lot. The foam sleeves also block more sound, which results in even more internal noise. But the rubber sleeves clean off better. Still, there's no way I'd share these with anyone without swapping sleeves.
It should be noted that both sound and comfort will vary a lot depending on how well you fit them. This includes selecting the proper sleeve and making sure the 110's are put in your ear properly. It's not rocket science, but it can be done wrong. And you may find that the sleeves that are the most comfortable are not the ones that sound the best. Also, the rubber sleeves can form a seal before they are fully in place, leading to the feeling of a pressure change in your ear canal after you finish pushing them further in place.
Overall, these are very good headphones if you don't move or breathe, and don't mind ear-wax. My opinion is that supra-aural headphones are the best choice for most applications. Since most supra-aural headphones are large, they may not be the best choice for a portable application. But I will never buy another pair of canal-phones. My Bang and Olufsen (http://www.bang-olufsen.com/) A8's were superior in every way but comfort and price.
The sound quality is very good. Bass representation is very good and is one of the strengths of all in-ear designs. Mids and highs are clear and full, but I've heard sound that seems like high-frequency compression artifacts or saturated drivers. The times I've noticed it required volumes that could have saturated the output of my iPod, and therefore would be unfair to blame the headphones. More testing is required on my part, so I will use the headphones that I use for Ventrilo on my gaming PC, and also plug the 110's into the output of my Audigy X-Fi.
These are amazing at blocking outside noise, which is how they are marketed. This comes at the cost of hearing EVERYTHING that goes on inside your body. Closing your mouth will yield the teeth clicking sound. This could result in you never closing your mouth fully. Coughing will scare the living crap out of you the first time. Breathing (yes, breathing) will be slightly disruptive during quiet segments of your music. Don't bother eating while listening to these headphones. And walking forces you to turn the volume up higher than you otherwise might play your music. You will hear the sound of your feet impacting the floor transfer through your bones to your ears. Normally this sound escapes out the ear and is not noticeable. If you want to know what this sounds like, stick your fingers in your ears and walk around on a hard floor.
The cords "microphones" a lot more than other headphone designs. Microphoning is when headphone cords make contact with something (like sliding over your shirt) and results in unwanted noise at the earpiece. My coat has a zipper, and when the cord moves over that zipper, it is about as disruptive as anything could possibly be.
I keep my ears pretty clean. I go through Q-tips faster than most guys, partly because I can't stand water or wax in my ears. So my ears get swabbed after every shower. At the end of work, there is a light glaze of wax on the sleeves that fit the earbuds in order to block outside noise. This makes an almost sickening sound as you remove the headphones. It's somewhat easy to clean them, but do you keep a tissue with you everywhere you go? Nope, so you are cleaning the headphones on your jeans. If you are adverse to ear wax, you should probably not buy headphones that come with a tool designed to clean wax out of the device. I now keep a small box of Q-tips at my desk at work because of these headphones.
I would rate the comfort at 75-95%. I never got to the point that I didn't know they were in my ears. They come with three sets of foam sleeves (three different sizes) and three sets made of rubber. Like foam earplugs you may have used, you compress the foam before inserting them in your ear. Then you wait for the foam to expand. This means it takes about 10 seconds per ear to put these headphones in when using those sleeves. The foam sleeves are a bit more comfortable for me, but a lot less convenient when putting in and taking out the headphones a lot. The foam sleeves also block more sound, which results in even more internal noise. But the rubber sleeves clean off better. Still, there's no way I'd share these with anyone without swapping sleeves.
It should be noted that both sound and comfort will vary a lot depending on how well you fit them. This includes selecting the proper sleeve and making sure the 110's are put in your ear properly. It's not rocket science, but it can be done wrong. And you may find that the sleeves that are the most comfortable are not the ones that sound the best. Also, the rubber sleeves can form a seal before they are fully in place, leading to the feeling of a pressure change in your ear canal after you finish pushing them further in place.
Overall, these are very good headphones if you don't move or breathe, and don't mind ear-wax. My opinion is that supra-aural headphones are the best choice for most applications. Since most supra-aural headphones are large, they may not be the best choice for a portable application. But I will never buy another pair of canal-phones. My Bang and Olufsen (http://www.bang-olufsen.com/) A8's were superior in every way but comfort and price.
2008-12-25
How cute are we?
My brother Tom, myself, and my sister Jennifer.
Click on the picture to see it properly. I don't have time to figure out how Blogger.com handles image constraints. Standard HTML isn't working.
Click on the picture to see it properly. I don't have time to figure out how Blogger.com handles image constraints. Standard HTML isn't working.
2008-12-22
My 2008 CD
01. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 02 - Denial Waits
02. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 04 - Forever Can Be
03. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 06 - Enemies
04. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight - 06 - Dreamworld
05. Rilo Kiley - Take Offs & Landings - 03 - Wires And Waves
06. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 09 - Love And War (11-11-46)
07. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 02 - Does He Love You?
08. Cream - The Very Best Of Cream - 20 - Badge
09. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 06 - Keep It All
10. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 08 - Pistachio
11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction - 07 - I Summon You
12. Paramore - Twilight - 02 - Decode
13. The Black Ghosts - Twilight - 03 - Full Moon
14. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 01 - Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure
15. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 02 - Pamphleteer
16. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 03 - Plea from a Cat Named Virtue
17. Bury Your Dead - Beauty And The Breakdown - House Of Brick
More about the CD later.
02. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 04 - Forever Can Be
03. Ashes Divide - Keep Telling Myself It's Alright - 06 - Enemies
04. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight - 06 - Dreamworld
05. Rilo Kiley - Take Offs & Landings - 03 - Wires And Waves
06. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 09 - Love And War (11-11-46)
07. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - 02 - Does He Love You?
08. Cream - The Very Best Of Cream - 20 - Badge
09. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 06 - Keep It All
10. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew - 08 - Pistachio
11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction - 07 - I Summon You
12. Paramore - Twilight - 02 - Decode
13. The Black Ghosts - Twilight - 03 - Full Moon
14. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 01 - Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure
15. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 02 - Pamphleteer
16. The Weakerthans - Purchased - 03 - Plea from a Cat Named Virtue
17. Bury Your Dead - Beauty And The Breakdown - House Of Brick
More about the CD later.
2008-12-17
American auto makers take note
Ford, Chevy, and Dodge should change their advertisements. They should give up on the "Our cars kick ass" idiom and try something like "Senate declines automaker bailout. Buy American you assholes."
2008-12-11
My latest PC upgrade
Here are the parts I bought for this last upgrade:
$189 - ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
$173 - AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX
$129 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$129 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$119 - GeIL Evo One 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GE24GB1066C5DC
$54 - ASUS Arctic Square 92mm Vapo Bearing CPU Cooler
$27 - SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q
$25 - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
-------
= $1018
This was spread over 3 paychecks, so it wasn't nearly as painful as you might think. I got the WD Caviar first, and found the larger Seagate on sale about 3 weeks later. Oh well.
Here's the CPU-Z validator link.
$189 - ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
$173 - AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HD995ZXAGHBOX
$129 - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$129 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$119 - GeIL Evo One 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GE24GB1066C5DC
$54 - ASUS Arctic Square 92mm Vapo Bearing CPU Cooler
$27 - SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q
$25 - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
-------
= $1018
This was spread over 3 paychecks, so it wasn't nearly as painful as you might think. I got the WD Caviar first, and found the larger Seagate on sale about 3 weeks later. Oh well.
Here's the CPU-Z validator link.
2008-11-25
New hardware today
At least I will have something to do while the servers are coming back up. I've ordered some new PC hardware that should arrive sometime in the next few hours. I hope to have the Windows machine running again before servers come back up.
The new specs will be:
AMD Phenom quad core 9950 2.6 GHz 125w CPU (I didn't get one of the new 140 watt models, they have been out of stock for weeks now).
ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+ 790FX Motherboard
GeIL Evo One 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
I'm still using my PNY GeForce 7800 GTX, and will probably continue to use it for at least another month before buying an nVidia 200 series. After that I'd like to get a quad-rack (or larger) LCD mount and a few more monitors, 2-3 for the main PC. The backup PC will probably stay at one monitor, but I'd like a rack large enough to mount an LCD television above the monitors. Yeah, I won't be spending a lot of time outdoors.
The new specs will be:
AMD Phenom quad core 9950 2.6 GHz 125w CPU (I didn't get one of the new 140 watt models, they have been out of stock for weeks now).
ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+ 790FX Motherboard
GeIL Evo One 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
I'm still using my PNY GeForce 7800 GTX, and will probably continue to use it for at least another month before buying an nVidia 200 series. After that I'd like to get a quad-rack (or larger) LCD mount and a few more monitors, 2-3 for the main PC. The backup PC will probably stay at one monitor, but I'd like a rack large enough to mount an LCD television above the monitors. Yeah, I won't be spending a lot of time outdoors.
Pandora Classic Rock
Pandora.com is pissing me off today (I usually love it). I used their "Classic Rock" genre as a starter for one of my channels, and it's putting up to 90's rock in there. Hey, I like a few Sublime songs, but nobody on the planet considers them classic rock yet. They just don't mesh well with the Beatles, the Doors, CCR, Aeorsmith, ZZ Top, Journey, etc.
I guess I should check to see if they have a decade restricted classic rock station.
I guess I should check to see if they have a decade restricted classic rock station.
WoW update
My main, BigGuyKills (Troll Priest), is level 79 and less than 600k XP from 80. I should ding about 2-3 hours after the server comes up at noon today.
A few PC crashes caused me to fall behind. I spent at least 1.5 days trying to fix the Windows machine. I spent another 4 hours getting the expansion DVD to install in Linux.
Seriously, is Blizzard unable to spend maybe $80k a year to hire a developer that ports WoW to Linux? They make something like 15 MILLION each MONTH just in subscription fees.
For anyone interested in WoW under Linux, The best solution for the WotLK expansion DVD is to mount it as root and copy the entire disk to the HD and install from there. If you use one of the more secure and user friendly installs like Fedora or Ubuntu, the command is:
sudo mount -t udf -o ro,unhide /dev/dvd /media/dvd
You will probably need to unmount the DVD first though, so this step may be required before the last one:
sudo umount /media/dvd
That command may need to be altered depending on the location of your mount points and devices. The /media/dvd directory is what worked for my Linux install, Ubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron. Some distro's may need to know your UID. Get your UID with 'id -u' at the terminal. Then unmount the disk like above and run this:
sudo mount -t udf -o ro,unhide,uid=(number) /dev/dvd /media/dvd
Hope that helps. I know I'll probably have to check this post the next time I install Linux.
A few PC crashes caused me to fall behind. I spent at least 1.5 days trying to fix the Windows machine. I spent another 4 hours getting the expansion DVD to install in Linux.
Seriously, is Blizzard unable to spend maybe $80k a year to hire a developer that ports WoW to Linux? They make something like 15 MILLION each MONTH just in subscription fees.
For anyone interested in WoW under Linux, The best solution for the WotLK expansion DVD is to mount it as root and copy the entire disk to the HD and install from there. If you use one of the more secure and user friendly installs like Fedora or Ubuntu, the command is:
sudo mount -t udf -o ro,unhide /dev/dvd /media/dvd
You will probably need to unmount the DVD first though, so this step may be required before the last one:
sudo umount /media/dvd
That command may need to be altered depending on the location of your mount points and devices. The /media/dvd directory is what worked for my Linux install, Ubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron. Some distro's may need to know your UID. Get your UID with 'id -u' at the terminal. Then unmount the disk like above and run this:
sudo mount -t udf -o ro,unhide,uid=(number) /dev/dvd /media/dvd
Hope that helps. I know I'll probably have to check this post the next time I install Linux.
Tuesday mornings suck
I am up, but the server is down. I hate weekly maintenance. This may be the worst part of working nights.
But at least Miranda Kerr is hot:
But at least Miranda Kerr is hot:
2008-11-02
My political post
I was reading up on issues at both candidates web sites. From them, have a few points that bothered me. I'm a Republican, and have seen nothing from Obama that would convince me to vote for him. Because of this, most of my views will be right-slanted.
From the Barack Obama web site about McCain: "giving $200 billion in tax cuts to corporations, including $4 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil".
I'm going to rag on Obama here. This is misinformation, something that Democrats use liberally (a superb pun) to falsely inform their undereducated followers (I reference the portion of Democrats that are undereducated and am not calling all Democrats undereducated). The $4 billion to big oil portion of this quote is designed to make readers think that a component of this plan was created just for oil companies. It wasn't. The $200 billion includes companies in every sector, and the plan was not designed to exclude any company or industry. Since it wasn't exclusive, oil companies are just some of the many that will benefit from this. Intelligent Democrats will probably see this as no big deal, but the uneducated masses that often vote Democrat because they want to continue receiving handouts will see this as proof that McCain is in bed with the oil companies. This $4 billion is brought up many times on the Obama web site. After the third time it just struck me as tacky. Such tactics should insult intelligent Democrats. It's like saying you need to be lied to in order to secure your vote.
Obama website: "John McCain has no plan to end the war in Iraq, and would keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq"
Does anyone think McCain wants to drag out the Iraq conflict? Making sure Iraq can stand on its own is not the same as dragging out the war. Leaving premature could result in tragedy. If that happens, then all the sacrifice America has endured for Iraq could be for nothing. McCain is a vet, he has lost many friends in combat. Until I have had the same experiences (and I hope that never happens to me), I trust his perspective on war. The fact that McCain hasn't promised a fast withdrawal, like the public seems to want, speaks volumes about his character and beliefs.
What I don't like about either candidate? Taxes. They each promise tax cuts like that's the solution for all that ails America. It's my opinion that in this trying economic time, we should maybe keep taxes where they are or even raise them a bit in order to help fund the programs we need to get the country back on track. All the talk of tax cuts makes me feel like I'm just being told what they think I want to hear.
Energy: I think McCain has Obama beat by a slight margin. I think Palin has them both beat, and I was happy to hear her willingness to disagree with McCain in the VP debate with regard to northern shelf drilling.
I don't think we can "talk it out" with irrational world leaders. I think sanctions should be our primary leverage and they can come to us when they are ready to play nice. We should set limits regarding what we will allow and if they step over the line even slightly, we should be willing to use force.
Otherwise, I don't have a lot of issues with either candidate. I have reservations about both. Obama has a few things that scare me. McCain has a few things that disappoint me. But overall, I think we will be well served by either. I'm still going to vote McCain because I think he is a better leader and I think he is better suited to lead our country at this point in our history.
And for the record, Cindy McCain is a babe.
From the Barack Obama web site about McCain: "giving $200 billion in tax cuts to corporations, including $4 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil".
I'm going to rag on Obama here. This is misinformation, something that Democrats use liberally (a superb pun) to falsely inform their undereducated followers (I reference the portion of Democrats that are undereducated and am not calling all Democrats undereducated). The $4 billion to big oil portion of this quote is designed to make readers think that a component of this plan was created just for oil companies. It wasn't. The $200 billion includes companies in every sector, and the plan was not designed to exclude any company or industry. Since it wasn't exclusive, oil companies are just some of the many that will benefit from this. Intelligent Democrats will probably see this as no big deal, but the uneducated masses that often vote Democrat because they want to continue receiving handouts will see this as proof that McCain is in bed with the oil companies. This $4 billion is brought up many times on the Obama web site. After the third time it just struck me as tacky. Such tactics should insult intelligent Democrats. It's like saying you need to be lied to in order to secure your vote.
Obama website: "John McCain has no plan to end the war in Iraq, and would keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq"
Does anyone think McCain wants to drag out the Iraq conflict? Making sure Iraq can stand on its own is not the same as dragging out the war. Leaving premature could result in tragedy. If that happens, then all the sacrifice America has endured for Iraq could be for nothing. McCain is a vet, he has lost many friends in combat. Until I have had the same experiences (and I hope that never happens to me), I trust his perspective on war. The fact that McCain hasn't promised a fast withdrawal, like the public seems to want, speaks volumes about his character and beliefs.
What I don't like about either candidate? Taxes. They each promise tax cuts like that's the solution for all that ails America. It's my opinion that in this trying economic time, we should maybe keep taxes where they are or even raise them a bit in order to help fund the programs we need to get the country back on track. All the talk of tax cuts makes me feel like I'm just being told what they think I want to hear.
Energy: I think McCain has Obama beat by a slight margin. I think Palin has them both beat, and I was happy to hear her willingness to disagree with McCain in the VP debate with regard to northern shelf drilling.
I don't think we can "talk it out" with irrational world leaders. I think sanctions should be our primary leverage and they can come to us when they are ready to play nice. We should set limits regarding what we will allow and if they step over the line even slightly, we should be willing to use force.
Otherwise, I don't have a lot of issues with either candidate. I have reservations about both. Obama has a few things that scare me. McCain has a few things that disappoint me. But overall, I think we will be well served by either. I'm still going to vote McCain because I think he is a better leader and I think he is better suited to lead our country at this point in our history.
And for the record, Cindy McCain is a babe.
2008-10-27
I'm not a fan of Howard Stern, but...
This is both funny and scary. Our future may be decided by the ignorant masses:
Howard Stern Audio clip about voters in Harlem.
Howard Stern Audio clip about voters in Harlem.
2008-10-24
Illidan down!
We killed Illidan! The last boss of Black Temple used to be the toughest boss in World of Warcraft (a new instance was added a few months ago that is more difficult than Black Temple), so we "beat the game" so to speak.
This is what we were pushing for. We wanted to hit this milestone before the next expansion hits in November. So I'm pleased.
This is what we were pushing for. We wanted to hit this milestone before the next expansion hits in November. So I'm pleased.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
