August 2004

It’s nice to know that when I make a mistake I correct it in a public way. Yesterday, I tried to use my Dell Laptop which, as we all know, runs Windows XP Pro, to post some thought to this here blog. Suffice to say it didn’t not go exactly as planned.

I do not fault the good folks who make ecto, my blog software of choice. They have written and provide a nice bit of instruction for any and all users to look at and follow. Sadly, I did not partake of the bit of knowledge. In short, I did not RTFM. But now, all is well and I can get back to doing what I like to do without fear of mushed up text.

I realize that as a human being, I am prone to mistakes. Sometimes, really stupid mistakes. This is one of those times and I am sure more are to follow. I’m not trying to be hard on myself just to be hard on myself. But I am a technology consultant for corn sake. If I can’t use the damn software correctly, and I’m supposed to know how, then who can? Oh yeah, RTFM and all will be well.

They really need to teach that in school. All I learned in my early days of school was that girls had cooties and it was fun to play Dungeons and Dragons all day instead of doing any actual school work. If you are not familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, its what we nerds did before we all got these fancy computers at home and started playing “Call of Duty” or “Medal of Honor” or “Madden 2004” or whatever is the hot title du jour.

I was sort of an oddity in the world of nerddom. I was, and still are, quite a geek, loving the tech and gadgets as I do. However, I was also a jock too. Kind of an odd mixture. I had friends that played sports and friends that played video games. I guess I was lucky and had a pretty good time in high school. Although, I did not go to my 10 year reunion and have no plans to attend the 20 year either when it arrives.

My best friends in high school are still my friends and I am still in touch with them. None of them live in LA so getting together is sometimes difficult but we manage. In fact, one of my friends, Steve, is planning a big party in a few weeks which me and mine will be attending. I expect some good amounts of various cocktails will be imbibed that day (or we will all get tired and go to bed by 10).

Perhaps I will remember to take some pictures and post them somewhere. Maybe even here or on the Moblog. Probably, I will just snap a few and forget about them until I discover them again down the road. That’s kind of fun actually.

Well, I actually have to do some work tomorrow pretty early so its off to bed for me to try and go to sleep. Wish me luck.

Later.

Ok, I’m dumb. The mushed together thing is fixed. We now return you to the Olympics already in progress.

Later.

I don’t know why the previous post was all bunched together like it is. Curious. I guess that’s the difference between the Macintosh and Windows versions of ecto. Bummer. I hate it when its all mushed together like that. I guess I will get over it.

Before I forget, go check out The Red Venus Love Army at their website. They are a cool band based in Portland and are starting to get noticed. Also, my brother-in-law is in the band so I might be a little biased. Whatever, their still a great band. Actually, my brother-in-law, Sam, is really in at least three bands. He’s that good.

The other two bands are thebrotheregg and twinklelingus. Go check them out immediately as well. And buy their cd and other stuff. Support independent artists.

Ok, now I really gotta go. It’s the women’s gymnastics team competition and I just love that Carly Patterson and Courtney Kupets. I know its already over but TiVo got it for me. Thanks TiVo.

Later.

Yeah, I know. I hate test posts too. But I gotta check out the new version of ecto for Windows and I am also testing out my Dell laptop now that I have applied Windows XP Service Pack 2. I have to say, so far, so good on both counts. SP2 seems to have not broken anything, at least so far and the version of ecto for Windows seems to work well too. So, that’s good.

In case you don’t know, ecto is my prefered blog software on the Macintosh. Now, they have it for Windows too. It works with all the popular services like Moveable Type, Typepad, Blogger and Atom so no worries. I use Typepad myself and would use MoveableType if I was running my own server at the moment, but I’m not. I will again in the future but right now, it is easier to have someone else do it for me.

And I really like the folks at Typepad so go check them out. Also, check out ecto as well for the best blogging software around for the Macintosh and so far, for Windows too.

Also, I have some new links to your right and especially find the Starbucks one pretty interesting. As many of you know, I frequent Starbucks so this bit of insider info is pretty cool. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

And, much to my surprise, I am actually watching the Olympics way more than I thought I would. Maybe its because of the lack of anything else on TV. I don’t know. I still think NBC should have had more coverage of the Democratic Convention but are doing and ok job covering the Olympics. Not too much over the top family stories of courage or anything like that. Some, but not over-the-top yet.

What can I say? I guess you can call me a flip-flopper.

Later.

So, that thing I mentioned a few posts ago that I was waiting to hear about, I heard about. One thing isn’t going to work out but another thing is still in the running. So, I’m still waiting. Now, however, I need to see some more people and then have them decide if I’m cool enough for school.

Whatever the outcome, it was an interesting process. I have not gone through this process in my entire life. It’s all new to me so therefore, not annoying and pretty interesting. I still don’t want to divulge what I am talking about for fear of something happening or not happening. I’ve just been conditioned over the years not to talk about things until they actually happen. So, there it is.

I think its just a defense mechanism to prevent me from investing too much into something for fear of being disappointed. Although it doesn’t always work as evidenced by the last week or so and my troubles going to sleep. Too much thinking going on. Not always good. I guess I really will never learn.

Ok, enough of that, let’s talk about some news and tech stuff:

Happy birthday Alfred Hitchcock. One of the greatest film directors of all time. Windows XP Service Pack 2 is now available through Windows Update. However, some problems have been reported. Might be worth waiting a bit before upgrading. I’m going to try it today and see what happens.

Jeffrey Lee Parsons, a 19-year-old from Minnesota, has plead guilty to creating and spreading the Blaster-B worm. He based it on the original Blaster whose author remains at-large. Parsons is not the brightest banana in the bunch – he simply rewrote the original virus to make it nastier, and then distributed it under his own chat handle, making it easy for cops to track him down. It’s unlikely they’ll ever catch the guy (or gal) who really started it.

DVD Jon is at it again. First he breaks the CSS encryption on DVDs, then he cracks the iTunes Music Store copy protection, now he claims to have broken the encryption in Apple’s Airport Express Wi-Fi device, allowing it to be used for more than just iTunes music sharing.

Google’s Initial Public Offering was almost delayed again, this time because founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin have revealed too much in the pages of Playboy. The auction is scheduled to begin today amid fears that the interview may have violated the SEC mandated Quiet Period. No action has been forthcoming from the SEC so if you registered in time, point your browsers to ipo.google.com and let the bidding begin.

Oh, and I think the Olympics are going on. The USA has won a few medals for swimming and some other stuff. I have a hard time watching the Olympics because I can’t stand the other things that are shown besides the sports. I just want the sports. I don’t need the tales of human tragedy that it took to get to the Olympics. I just want to watch the sports.

The other thing that puzzles me and angers me is that NBC is showing something like 2000 hours of Olympic coverage. How many hours of the democratic National Convention did they show? 3. Something’s wrong there. Is it because NBC is owned by General Electric and GE is a big Bush supporter? I’m sure that’s not it.

Later.

Ok, here’s an entry. So what? Fine, I’ll try. For fun, I went to the Electronic Arts party last night. EA makes a crap-load of video games including many sports titles and other FPS (first-person-shooter) games that I play. It was fun.

Why was I at a party for a company that makes video games you may ask? Because of the free beer and food. Duh? Really, I was there because a good friend was putting on the party for EA so I got the hookup. Also, there is a remote possibility that I may do some work in one form or another for EA so that was the other reason for attending. Cash.

If I had any complaints I would say that my main one was the fact that the attendees consisted mostly of dudes. Many of them pizza-faced and pale from too many hours playing a LAN game of “Battlefield:Vietnam” or far too many hours of “Everquest”. Or, as many people refer to it: “EverCrack”.

I realize that they comprise the majority of game players and game makers but for my money I prefer a few more females, if only for something more interesting to look at. My other complaint was that some of the food wasn’t fantastic. But again, it was free so I did not nor will I ever complain to anyone. I’m not stupid, I want to be invited back.

It’s a very nice “campus” as they call it complete with fitness center, cafeteria, full-size basketball court and all the other perks that while on the surface seem cool but if you think about it are really there so you don’t have an excuse to go home very often. What they want, and I would be prepared to give, is a long-term commitment of time and energy.

It’s much like the movie business in that the games are to be released on a certain day in time for the xmas rush or whatever and you will make that deadline even if it means sleeping, eating, working out and shitting at the office. Oh, the restrooms were very clean and well-appointed as well. FYI.

I don’t have a problem with this approach as long as everyone knows what they are getting into. People are adults, for the most part, and have to take responsibility for their own decisions, no matter how stupid they may be.

Hey, we are all stupid sometimes. Just look at those morons who are doing the anti-Kerry add calling themselves “Swift-Boat Crews for Truth” or some similar bullshit. I bet they feel pretty stupid. At least I hope they do. Man, I hope they do. . .

Later.

It seems that in this crazy world the time just slips away. I can’t believe that I haven’t done a blog entry in 6 days. What’s wrong with me? Do I not have anything to say? I find it hard to believe that I don’t what with all the political, social, economic and other stuff going on in the world today. But really, let’s just talk about me for a minute.

I have been, as the kids say, hella busy these last several days. It’s nice to be busy and to have things to do but it sure gets in the way of other pursuits that I find much more fun than working. You know what I’m talking about. Taking pictures, reading a good book, seeing a show, going to Starbucks so I can get my fix and many of the other things that make life great.

I know we all have to work but man, what a pain in the ass. Why wasn’t I smart enough to get into the tech world while the dot boom was still going on? Then I could have just made my millions and seen the world. Too late.

The real trick now is to figure out what the next big thing is going to be and get in on it while its still big and before it blows up in everyone’s face. If I only knew what that thing was I would be in good shape. I will keep my eyes and ears open.

Oh, I might have some good news in the next few days so if I do, I will report it here. If it doesn’t work out like I think it will I will not mention it ever again. However, if you feel like it, wish me luck or tell me to “break a leg” or any other positive saying you care to contribute. I need all the luck and good wishes I can get.

Now, the news. ENIAC, the world’s first all-electronic digital computer, was turned on on this day in 1947. So was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Francis Crick, discoverer of the structure of DNA, has died at the age of 88.

Apple is calling Real Networks reverse engineering of the iTunes DRM “breaking and entering.” “We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the DMCA.” They also say that it’s highly unlikely that Real’s technology will work with future firmware updates.

Microsoft demonstrated its “google killer” today, an all-in-one search that can find things on your hard drive as well as on the Internet. Maybe it can find the Longhorn engineers whose jobs are going to India.

Also, CNN has a story about six people being beaten to death because of an XBox gaming console. If they had asked, I would have given them mine. I don’t need it that bad.

Later.