Archive for May, 2008
5/1/2008
The boss invited me to tag along to a blogger meet-up in South Tampa yesterday. So I went. It was, said honestly, interesting to actually speak with other people that understand what I think is normal conversation, i.e. stuff about WordPress, MovableType, Microsoft tech, Mac tech, the ins and outs of how blogging works, social networking, etc.
I was like “Yay.. birds of a feather.” :-)
The blogger I spoke with that “gets it” most was Sarah. Why? Because she’s one of the very few folks I know that knows what Microsoft is truly all about. She totally understands the corporate side of what the guys and gals in Redmond actually do. It is extremely rare I encounter someone with that type of insight.
As for everyone else, there was not a single fanboy or fangirl there. That was 100% awesome. These people are all pros at what they do be it large or small scale.
I also re-learned something. If you’re going to be geek, go geek. And do it unapologetically. It’s definitely the only way to fly.
posted in blog | 2 Comments »
5/2/2008
This morning @ 10am I will be visiting a glass shop to (hopefully) fix the wonky issues happening with my driver’s side electric window.
The wonky issue is this: Starting around 6 months ago (at around 58,000-ish miles) the electric window would periodically not work - but only after the glass had been rolled down about 1/4 of the way. Being that it fixed itself I didn’t really worry much about it.
A few days ago it became a real problem. The window would have a really hard time rolling down and the switch would absolutely stop working unless I nudged the glass myself. Then it would “catch” and roll again.
After researching it on the ‘net I found that my particular issue is minor and that the window regulator just needs a cleaning. This should (hopefully) clear up the problem. And I’m praying that the regulator isn’t shot.
The reason I say it’s minor is because the power door locks and keyless entry still work without issue on that door. In all other instances I’ve read, everything electric stops working on the driver’s side.. so I breathe a small sigh of relief there.
In addition, my regulator still works. In fact it works normally rolling up. It’s only rolling down that it gets all wonked out.
(Update: Window repaired, see bottom of this post)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On an unrelated note, here are the pros and cons of driving a truck in metro Florida.
Pro: Size matters. If you drive a larger vehicle, people get out of your way.
Con: Size matters. Makes for parking a challenge in certain areas.
Pro: Ground clearance. VERY big deal. Good for speed “humps” (as they call them), dipped parking entrances/exits, tight curbs (just run over them), etc. You also have better visibility.
Con: Wide turning radius. U-turns are sometimes simply not possible with a 4×4 pickup. In Tampa that’s a serious drawback.
Pro: Pickup bed, the ultimate trunk. :-)
Con: Even though I have an extended cab truck, sometimes I wish I had a covered trunk space.
Pro: Lower insurance rates (on pickups).
Con: Higher cost for other stuff, like tires.
Pro: Good utility.
Con: The utility comes at the expense of ride quality.
Eh, I’m sure there are more pros and cons but those are the ones I could think of. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update:
I just got back from the window place. The electric motor was shot and had to be replaced. Total cost: $196.
Yeah I really didn’t need this expense right now, however I had to get it done because if the window ever got stuck in the open position this would leave my vehicle open for theft.
On the bright side, at least it was just the motor and not the entire regulator. If I had to get that whole assembly replaced that would have been big-time bucks.
posted in blog | No Comments »
5/3/2008
Just posted a new design. This is a fluid-yet-not-fluid thing. The main content (what you’re reading now in the white field) is fixed. The rest of it is fluid. And in my usual practice, I’m using ancient HTML with stylized CSS tables. I figure if anyone wants to read my blog over a mobile device they can just subscribe via RSS and read it that way. My site is designed for big non-mobile (save for laptop) computers and not little ones. :-)
The reason for the shortened white field and the rest of it dark is because when one blogs one spends a lot of time staring at his or her own blog. If your blog is all-light this will burn holes in your retinas quickly, hence the reason I darkened it up a bit around the main content.
In my CSS this time around I accommodated for both Windows and Macs. If you’re using a Mac you should see Lucida Grande. On Windows, you’ll either see Segoe UI (which looks really good) or just plain Arial (boring but works). For Linux people I didn’t bother putting a specific font spec for that. I mean, yeah I suppose I could spec Bitstream Vera Sans, but you already see that for your default sans-serif font anyway… so what’s the point?
The only really major changes (other than what I just mentioned) is that I’m actually using three tiers instead of two. The third is just quickie-links with lil’ icons. And yes I know some of those icons look a bit f’ed up at the moment but I’ll get around to that soon enough.
I have always appreciated web sites where the design makes it very easy to find out where to go fast-fast-fast. And hopefully I’ve been able to do that here.. unless you’re reading this thru RSS.. which in that case you just read all of this for nothing. Ha. :-)
posted in blog | No Comments »
5/3/2008
Today at Pop’s we finally got around to setting up his dipole. Contrary to one would think, a dipole doesn’t have any physical pole in it. Essentially it’s the pos/neg thing that’s used for a ham radio rig.
The afternoon was spent mowing the lawn first, then jumping up on a ladder several times to position the cable between three trees. After that a secondary cable was soldered to the first one and the end of that cable was snaked thru a window to the Kenwood rig.
The result: Success. Pop got a quick contact in Maine. This means the dipole is set up correct and “pointed” properly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The life of a ham radio op is sorta/kinda similar to anyone who tinkers with computers, with the exception that the ham radio guy does a lot of stuff outside. The effort it takes just to get a rig working right is difficult, time consuming and outright frustrating. However, once working the rig pretty much stays “in tune” for a good long while.
Amateur radio equipment is ridiculously expensive. If you thought computers were expensive, ha! Try buying a top-of-the-line Icom rig. It’ll run you back about $10,000 and I’m not kidding. And yeah, that’s just for the rig. Pop has an older Kenwood setup but hey, it works and he can operate; that’s all that counts.
Interesting side note: I was actually able to scan and find a frequency strictly from memory from watching Pop do it years ago. Turn the knob, listen for the freq to tune.. adjust squelch.. adjust RF for volume.. and then break in. Pop did the breaking in obviously because he’s got the call sign and I don’t.
Well anyway.. mission successful. The rig works. Tomorrow will be cleaning up the cables outside (a few are sprawled on the ground).
posted in blog | 2 Comments »
5/4/2008
I wrote my first blog post in May of 2004 and have been doing it ever since. This blog is four years old. It’s been in different locations from time to time (three to be exact) but the place where it will be for as long as I continue to blog will be menga.net.
A long time ago I read something called The demise of the geek bloggers. It’s a really old article from 2005. At the time the article states there are three generations:
1G: the geek generation
2G: the extrovert generation
3G: the consumer bloggers
When you read the article I’ll guarantee you think it’s 100% wrong. Why? Because ask anyone if geek blogging is in demise and you’ll hear a resounding NO.
So it’s time for a refresh of what the Gs really mean.
1G: The nerd generation
(1997-2002)
True nerds do not call blogs blogs. They call them weblogs. They wrote on weblogs mainly as a means of sharing technical information, and the CMSes they used were usually (if not always) custom-programmed. Comments? Trackbacks? RSS? Pshaw! What the frig is that? The weblogs were nothing but tech, tech and more tech. And not opinionated tech either. It was like reading a manual; that was the original intent.
Most 1G bloggers have vanished or have reinvented themselves as G4s.
2G: The geek generation
(2003-2005)
During this time there were a few CMSes that popped up like MovableType. This generation knows FTP, some programming, how to set up a MySQL database and wholeheartedly believes that having your own domain name is the only true way to fly (even to this day.)
The main difference between G1 and G2 is that G2s do not blog about tech and tech alone. What they write about will still be geeky, yes, but reads like more of a journal/diary instead of a technical manual.
The G2s hold the distinction of being around the longest.
In case you’re wondering, yes I am a G2. Most of us use WordPress.
3G: The consumer generation
(2006-2007)
In 2006 everyone found out about blogs and wanted to run one of their own. So they did. It was the “new cool thing” and they wrote on them religiously; sometimes several times a day.
Seemingly overnight, 3Gs vanished. Why? They discovered online video (i.e. YouTube.) The cool was now officially uncool, because after all, stupid people prefer video over words.
The king of the hill as far as 3G territory goes is MySpace. You will still find blogs there are still written to regularly in public view. Most of them suck, just like the rest of MySpace. However those active blogs are sparse in nature as the rest are largely inactive (i.e. abandoned.)
3Gs proved to the world that writers are the only ones who truly like to write.
4G: The nerd generation revisited
(2008-???)
In very-late 2007 spilling over into 2008 (and still going strong) are 1G bloggers now reinvented as new fresh blog authors. They’ve got a new lease on a blog life because they finally figured out that tech + attitude = good content.
Old 1Gs rarely if ever posted an opinion on anything because.. well.. they just didn’t. The internet was a nicer place at that time. But now, look out! The 1Gs are back! They’re older, crustier, put on a few pounds and darn it, they’re a-gonna tell you what they think about everything tech.
Fueled by a hot steaming cup of overpriced yuppie-coffee, a Twinkie in one hand and a Macbook in the other, they’re going to blast their opinions at you - and you’d better listen.. because.. they um.. told you to. Something like that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2Gs know that the 4Gs are basically full of shit because they stole all their ideas from us. The best of the best in blogging has always come from 2Gs. We started blogging because we thought it was cool. Then it became officially cool. After that it became uncool. We still blogged anyway. And now blogging is cool once again.
The truth of the matter is that we were always here and never left. For all you 4Gs that steal our thunder, go right ahead because you wouldn’t know a good idea even if could stand up and take a shit in a litter box. We all know you’re all nothing but Left Coast new media douche bags.
posted in blog | 1 Comment »
5/5/2008
In a few hours I will be going to the dentist. It’s very early in the morn’ right now and my appointment is @ 7:30am. Thankfully my boss is a really cool guy and is okay with me being temporarily out for Monday morning.
I can guarantee you this is how things are going to go down. Take notes; you will be quizzed later.
- I will be talked down to (in a nice manner) that I should have gone to the dentist sooner. I will resist the urge to yell in his face and state that dentists are fucking expensive.
- The dentist’s poking and prodding into my mouth will hurt. I will say (or rather make an attempt to speak) that it hurts. The dentist will be confused and say it shouldn’t hurt. Every single dentist I’ve ever been to has always said this even when my teeth were in much better condition. It’s annoying but I deal with it. My teeth have always been sensitive and that’s just the way it is.
- I will be told that my smoking is bad and I shouldn’t do it. Yes, I know this. The dentist doesn’t know I’ve been making a very large effort at quitting. I will deal with it. The ironic thing is that my teeth are whiter than most non-smokers’ teeth. Funny that.
- I will be told that I don’t floss enough, even though I know for a fact I floss more than 90% of America does (give or take a few hundred thousand people).
God willing, there will be no needles or novocaine involved. It could be that the asshole dentist simply does some very minor intrusion into my mouth, takes some x-rays, charges me a few hundred bucks (oh joy) and then says I have to come back a few months later to start a long process of pain and suffering to get my teeth back into shape. If this is the case, fine. I will deal with that as best I can.
However if there are any needles/novocaine involved, it will 100% suck. Half my face will be “asleep” after getting shot with novocaine and in typical fashion I will feel depressed for the entire day.
In the past there was a period of almost six months where I was in and out of the dentist many times, usually once or twice a month. I’ve been drilled and filled a lot. Yes, I’ve seen the smoke come out of my mouth from the drill - THAT SUCKS. Yes, I’ve had the “block” put in my mouth so it would be forced open so the dentist could work on me - THAT SUCKS. Yes, I’ve had a root canal, seen the iron hooks, and sat in the chair feeling absolutely helpless and frightened out of my mind. All the while the one thought going thru my mind is “Please, Mr. Asshole Dentist, finish your fucking job so I can get the fuck out of here.”
The worst: I once had a secondary molar that needed to be pulled and I remember that experience as if it were yesterday. The guy looked me square in the face and said “This is gonna hurt.” He then stuck a needle directly in the roof of my mouth and shot novocaine. Pain extreme. To give you a teeny tiny example of what that feels like, take your finger and push your fingernail gently on the roof of your mouth. Notice how it’s really sensitive? Imagine a needle being stuck in there. After the novocaine shot he grabbed a pair of pliers (I kid you not), grabbed the tooth and yanked it out. It took three pulls. Rarely in my life have I ever felt such pain. It’s the kind of pain that’s so intense it almost makes you pass out. It took me the better half of the day to collect myself, so to speak.
You want pain? That’s pain.
The only time I remember having a good visit was a really long time ago. My wisdom teeth were to be all taken out (this was before the secondary molar decided it didn’t want to be there). I was gassed and sound asleep for the entire process. At the time I had a girlfriend who was willing and able to take me to/from the dentist. When I woke up and opened my eyes after the whole ordeal, she was there smiling back at me and said everything was okay. I felt fine and was so unbelievably thankful she was there. I was in a very vulnerable state (obviously) and she was nothing but perfect.
That is the one and only time I remember a nice dentist’s visit.
As an interesting side note, I’ve seen billboards that promote dentists who will gas you for every visit - even for simple checkups. Do I think this is a good idea? ABSOLUTELY. If I could be gassed for every single dentist’s procedure I’d do it in a hot minute without hesitation. I would be totally willing to pay the extra cash and take a cab home if it meant I never had to see iron hooks, drills or hear that UNBELIEVABLY annoying word “open” said to me again and again and again and again.
I am not looking forward to this and feel stressed even as I write this. I’m just praying this asshole dentist does his job, doesn’t charge me too much and doesn’t give me any grief.
At this stage in my life I don’t take any grief from dentists anymore. If the guy or girl starts getting on my case about anything I will gladly tell them to STOP talking right there. The figurative blinders go on at that point and I will completely shut them out, stating something to the effect of “Stop lecturing me, shut your mouth, do your job. I will pay your bill, you will tell me when the next appointment is. Understand?”
I’m normally met with shock when that happens but I couldn’t care less. Do your job and then literally get out of my face.
posted in blog | 1 Comment »
5/5/2008
Just got back from the dentist (in which I was totally freaking out about). In short, this is what’s going to happen:
I need a root canal, a filling re-filled and a crown fixed. And possibly a new little itty bitty filling. Other than that I should be good.
Today cost me $75 which is a lot less than I expected (and that’s a very good thing.)
Anyhoo.. over the course of the next few months I’ll be setting up a schedule to get all this crap done.
Once finished I can do normal checkups after that.. FOR A CHANGE. :-)
Oh, and by the way the dentist was a cool guy.
Right now I have to get my shit together, pack up and head back to Tampa so I can do some work for the boss.
posted in blog | No Comments »
5/6/2008
Yesterday I got back into Tampa a lil’ after noon. I wrote up a few articles and did a video for work. After that I called a neighbor who had left me a voice mail stating he knew where I could get an inexpensive washer/dryer set for $150.
I said if he wanted to get together he could call around 5 or 6pm and I should be around. Well.. that didn’t happen because I was up since 1am of the previous day and around 5-ish I turned off my cell phone and slept. I had to because I was just way too tired and didn’t want the phone ringing waking me up.
My neighbor probably doesn’t think too kindly of me at the moment (he probably called), so.. I’ll have to do some damage control tomorrow. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the moment I’m still in night-owl phase. I shift back and forth from day-person to night-person like clockwork once every 3 weeks. Hopefully I’ll be able to shift myself back to day-person mode because to be honest this all-night crap annoys me. I prefer being a day-person but sometimes crap happens (like the dentist thing) that causes me to shift back.
Ah well.. what ya gonna do.
posted in blog | No Comments »
5/6/2008
And yes I was the one that gave the user the thumbs up.
posted in blog | No Comments »
5/7/2008
I haven’t written anything in a while describing my current computer setup or the apps I’m currently using, so I figured it was time for an update.
Hardware
- Custom case (Full-size ATX tower)
- BIOSTAR 945GC Micro 775 LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
- Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775
- 2GB RAM
- 16x DVD +/- Burner
- Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
- EVGA 256-P2-N541-T2 GeForce 7600GS 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card
- BenQ FP202W 20-inch LCD monitor, 1680×1050, DVI
- Sony SDM-S73 17-inch LCD monitor, 1280×1024 VGA
- Crappy $15 Microsoft black computer keyboard
- Microsoft USB IntelliMouse
- REALLY crappy (heh) $10 (for real) Altec Lansing speakers
Software
(This is not a complete list but lists most of what I use)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition Service Pack 2 (very soon to be SP3)
XP Theme I use: Zune (modified)
Music player: WinAMP v2.81 (very very old version but works well)
Video Player: Windows Media Player 11
DVD Player: Cyberlink PowerDVD 6 (older version but works fine)
Instant Messenger: Digsby
“Clean-up” Utility: CCleaner
Multi-Monitor Wallpaper Utility: Display Fusion
RSS Reader: FeedDemon
FTP Clients: FileZilla and UltraFXP (vaporware but I still use it)
Mapping: MapSource, POI Loader, Google Earth
Disc Image Writing: ImgBurn
Virtualization: VirtualBox
Image Editing: Paint Shop Pro v7 (very old version), GIMP
Application Launcher: Launchy
IRC: mIRC
Primary Web Browser: Mozilla Firefox
E-Mail: Mozilla Thunderbird (IMAP)
Text Editing: Notepad++
Office Suite: OpenOffice
PDF Creation: OpenOffice, PDF Creator
Photo Archiving: Picasa
Window Resizer: Sizer
Voice Conferencing: Ventrilo
Blog Post Editor/Publisher: Windows Live Writer
File Archive Utility: WinZIP
Yes, I use a crapload of software - but it does all get used. :-)
Concerning OpenOffice specifically, I’ll say this:
If you don’t use Microsoft Outlook, dump Microsoft Office now. Seriously. Outlook is the only reason to use MS Office to begin with because there is nothing that can compare with it (I’ve known many that “live inside” Outlook and can’t part with it - and for good reason.)
I now use ODF (OpenOffice’s standard document extension) exclusively. I do not use DOC anymore. Both my boss and myself have made the switch 100% to OpenOffice. It works and it’s free. So like I said, unless you use Outlook, dump MS Office and switch. There’s no reason not to. The learning curve is nil.
posted in blog | No Comments »
first time here?get notifiedcontact rich
more info
contact rich
rich@menga.net
Rich's Facebook Profile
Rich's Flickr Photostream
Rich's YouTube Channel