The Occasional Blargh

Trick or Treat

Wonder Dude (aka "Orange Tiara Guy"), Supergirl-Man and (I presume) Katma Tui

Well, even though I'm not going out in costume this Halloween, I guess this will be my "costume post" for the month. This was last month at the Baltimore Comic Convention, and I still haven't gotten those pics off of my digital camera and saved anywhere.

I think those three people actually had the best costumes of the few who I saw dressed up there.

Lift Every Voice. . .

Though I never did follow Dilbert creator Scott Adam's blog regularly, I recently discovered that he suffers from an exotic ailment which effectively causes one's brain to forget how to talk -- Spasmodic Dysphonia. It's not like the vocal cords just stop working, or even that the brain loses all contact with the mechanism of speech. Many sufferers of Spasmodic Dysphonia can frequently sing or get their body to produce voice in other ways. The brain appears to go about the process of singing or oratory speaking differently than everyday speaking. So the sufferer can be unable to speak normally in everyday situations, but be able to give presentations while using stage voice.

The interesting thing is using just this knowledge, Scott Adams tried  -- through repeated trial and error -- to figure out a way to reteach his brain how to speak, and has found success.

QotD: All My Computers

How many computers do you have in your house? 
Submitted by Foomper.

And segueing from my previous post to the Q of the D, I actually have 5 computers, but only three of them actually work. I am composing this post on a 15" Toshiba Satellite M35X-S111, which alternates between running Windows XP Home and Ubuntu Linux (the only Linux compatible with my PCMCIA wireless card). Memory was upgraded from standard 256 to 768MB. The original 40GB HD failed two months ago, so was replaced with a 60GB model. This computer was bought in an emergency to replace an older Toshiba, whose DVD drive died.

Mentioned in the previous post was the 12" 600MHz G3 iBook, which came as a gift after the original owner replaced it with a G4 iBook. The G3 has been upgraded from 128 to 384MB of RAM. It has a 20GB drive and an internal 802.11b wireless card (Apple brands these things "Airport"). It currently runs OS X 10.4, which may possibly be the last version that will run on it, if the rumors of Leopard requiring at minimum of a G4 processor are true. Both the working Toshiba and the iBook have what Apple would brand a "Combo drive" (reads DVDs, reads and writes CDs).

My desktop is a build-it-yourself project in-progress since 2002. A 1.8GHz AMD Athlon XP+ also with 768MB of RAM connected to a 17" flat panel monitor. It carries a 160GB drive, and a dual-layer DVD writer from HP. A second dual layer DVD writer from Sony awaits unopened in the box. A 256MB AGP Nvidia graphics card was the latest upgrade.

The two non-working machines are older notebooks. The Toshiba with the dead optical drive had earlier been giving me grief. The 1805-S204 was one of the models with the faulty LCD FL inverter that made it subject to a class-action settlement. (Note: The iBook had its own settlement regarding a faulty logic board, but it was repaired before I received it.) The one before that is a WinME era Compaq which "works" if you can balance it just right, since the battery cover is missing, and the battery no longer stays in. And if you wonder why I'm somewhat dismissive about notebooks, this is why.

They grant my wish -- though a week after my birthday.

Although I do think the company has a little too much in common with a petulant child, Apple Computer does make nice looking notebook computers. Today, they finally grant my wish and released 64-bit notebook computers. That said, as of today, it is still two-grand to get in on the ground floor with a 15" 2.16GHz Core 2 with 1GB of RAM. ($1800, with college discount). Over at Dell, I can build a "similar" system (meaning I can dump stuff I don't want, like the webcam and use the savings to get something more worthwhile, like a 256MB NVidia card [vs the 128MB ATI card on Apple's]) and it will only cost me just under $1700. Of course, with Dell, I run the risk of them not shipping the thing at all. Or the later risk of fighting with Dell support. (And with this many consecutive links, we will get to see if Vox is made of the stronger stuff.)

Of course, now you're all probably wondering why I so easily through aside my $1000 soft limit? Well, I figure I can hold out two months and save up the difference. (Shop after Christmas)  Although I do believe notebooks are far too fragile to be paying an premium for (the more fully powered the machine is, the hotter it will run, and with packing it all those hot electronics in a small form factor, the innards will wear out faster), I figure it might be worth it to set my sights up to the 2K limit. Especially since I can hold off on a desktop replacement for a while more.

But, that still leaves the issue of Windows Vista. Ironically, if I choose to buy Apple, it frees me from having to rush buying within a brief frame where Windows XP remains an option for notebooks -- I will have up to two years from release of Vista purchase XP. I've been testing Vista for a while, and I suspect that its overhead will cause quicker drain on battery life, and will leave machines running longer and harder than XP. Of course, the downside will be that if I do need Windows, I will have to purchase it at closer to full price. Not to say I'm uncomfortable with OS X. I have been using a used G3 iBook for over 18 month with it running 10.3 (Panther) and 10.4 (Tiger). Unfortunately, I fear the day I am stuck in Apple-only land will be the day I'm required to run some esoteric modelling program that either comes in a Windows-only format, or is a goofy-assed port from Unix/Linux that requires a beating to get running on OS X. (I really should get back to the land of graphic design.)

Well, I promise to keep you all updated, whether or not y'all want me to.

Blame the victim...

IPodVirus

I have gotten into several discussions with folks about why I think Apple is its own worse enemy, particularly in regards to its marketing and presentation. Over the course of its various image campaigns, it seems to want to drive a wedge in computer users. Rather than being just content in convincing people of the benefits of Macs and OS X, Apple goes out of its way to gratuitously slam Windows. Today, the copywriter for its support page demonstrates my case for me. Somewhere in the manufacturing chain for their iPods, they got infected with a virus. Yet in their subordinate clause at the beginning of the sentence, they decide to blame the victim. It's a weaselly way to deflect the responsibility they needed to take on the matter. This is one page that shouldn't have been made a part of the "Get a Mac" campaign.

Further reading:
John Gruber gets his own cheap shots in, but realizes Apple shouldn't sink to that level.
Daniel Jalkut realizes it's not the accident but the incomplete (if not insincere) contrition that is the issue.
Sterling Ambivalence gets in his own cheap shot by realizing that the iPod truly is the Windows of music players -  especially now since they get infected with viruses.
John C. Welch fights a losing war against zealots who must defend every foolish thing Apple does.
MacDailyNews once again demonstrates its worthlessness. Zealot central.

"I Didn't Know Negras Jawgged!"

This is one of the more remarkable stories I've seen written on the internet. How would you react to people who confide to you their inner prejudices? This is a story of a biracial woman to whom many people confide -- sometimes proudly -- their ignorances. My favorite anecdote is that of her with a woman whom she describes as the aristocratic southern belle who is shocked to discover that black women are capable of jogging.

"I didn't know negras jawgged!"

(posted to "Sterling Ambivalence", yesterday.)

B. O. Book

I have an old G3 iBook.  It's a nice machine, though old. It's still functional. However, I'm fearing the day it begins to smell like an unwashed sweat sock. I don't use it too much, so maybe that will keep the machine from breaking out into a nasty funk.

QotD: Save It For A Rainy Day

What's the best way to spend a rainy day?
Submitted by Vee.

I used to be an avid sketcher, spending my rainy days in my room drawing things.  I really hope to pick that habit up again.

That Wasn't a Long Wait. . .

In a post that started off with mention of AMD processors, I totally forgot about there being AMD powered 64 bit notebooks that already have a price below $1000. For example, this $930 15" HP Pavilion at Circuit City (DV6119US), which is currently on sale for $830. That looks to also be a dual core, judging by the name.

That said, I'm still going to hold out. There will be deeper discounts during the holiday shopping season. There might be coupons for a free or discounted upgrade to Windows Vista -- provided I don't purchase an Apple. And on the Apple front, I doubt they can possibly get away without updating to Core 2 Duo before Christmas, despite their tendencies to hold updates to after January's MacWorld conference. (Why not? See the $930 HP Pavilion, or any other notebook from a major manufacturer.)

Classic Beauty...

In the sidebar of related links to that last photo slide-show, there sat Sophia Loren, looking lovely as ever in fishnets. On September 20th, in honor of her 72nd birthday, Today Pictures did a photo essay about her.

Dude Looks Like a Lady. . .

I can't believe how attractive many of the women photographed in Slate's Today's Pictures feature are, seeing that they were all men at birth. Particularly striking is the gent or lady known as Justin Quirk for whom I cannot seem to find much information on.

Hint: My birthday comes up on October 18th...

A friend of a friend (don't all urban legends start this way?) reports that the 64 bit version of Windows Vista running on his AMD Athlon 64 powered machine positively screams, with World of Warcraft getting over 100 frames per second. Hearing that makes me really, really want to get a new 64 bit notebook computer -- but I'm waiting for the price to come down to around $1,000 or below on a decent machine.  (That is, a machine with at least 1GB of RAM, standard DVD writer, a graphics card with 128MB at least...)  Yeah,  it isn't likely to happen before  my birthday, but I'm hoping for some good year-end holiday sales.

(Why a notebook?  Well, because I am still considering building my own desktop, like I have each time before...  however, I am wavering against it, as actions by various groups are making it more and more difficult to be  a hardware tinkerer.)

Vox Hunt: It's A Sign (or is it a sin?)

Show us a sign.
Submitted by the roo.

ToHellWithCandy

Apparently the road to hell is paved with snackage (Click the image to zoom in)...

I wonder what would have happened if I bought a box of Little Debbie's Devil Squares?


A less literal answer to the Vox Hunt...

Jane, stop this crazy thing!

Power Button

Feedback left for Microsoft Windows Vista RC2.

Issue: By default, the icon in the start menu that looks like an I inside an O, which typically stands for the power toggle switch (a slightly different version, with the I breaking the O at the top appears to the right), does not toggle the power completely, which it does for Windows XP. Rather it sends the computer into sleep mode. The shut down option is hidden in a submenu to the right of the "padlock" button. Ironically, Windows XP uses the icon to the right as the symbol for sleep mode. In other words, Microsoft is redefining the symbols many people have come to understand with slightly different definitions.

 

It seems much more polished, less buggy and faster than Beta 2... However, Much of the Control Panel is too complicated and unintuitive. For instance, I feel it is a mistake to have the "power symbol" on the Start Menu default to putting the computer to sleep, but it isn't obvious how to change that setting. Right clicking the button brings up the "Start Menu" properties which don't have that setting. Going to Control Panel and (completely guessing) selecting "System/Maintenance" reveals the right possibility "Power Options", but it is downhill from there. Using the most logical "Select what the power buttons do" don't bring up the option for the Start Menu's power button. ot even when clicking on "Change settings that are currently unavailable" makes this option discoverable. Where do I go to change the behavior of the Start Menu's power buttons? Unbelievably, I have to choose either "Choose when to turn off the display" (!!!) or "Change when the computer sleeps" (!!!) to bring up the page which offers the option to "Change advanced power settings" which is where the settings for the Start Menu's power buttons are saved!  If you can't see what is wrong with that, I don't know what to say!

Movie Night...

Thank You for Smoking (Widescreen Edition)

Wednesday night movie night... funny movie.

Coolest Birthday Gift Ever!

BettiePagePaintedHouse

Since this month is my birth month, I am going to use it as an excuse to post this and proclaim BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!