As a Linux fan, I am fast considering Linux to be an essential tool for a PC repair technician. While I enjoy it as a standalone operating system, I am finding it to be a helpful tool even in a Windows environment. It's not infrequent to find a computer with healthy hardware but an operating system that has somehow gone south. Longtime Windows users have probably experienced that one time or another. While I personally backup my data, not everybody does, and there may be information on the dr...
For the first time in many, many years, I gave serious consideration today to calling in to everywhere I was supposed to be and just not being there. Instead, I contented myself with grabbing a couple of extra z's, after which I was much more inclined to greet the world. This is my "on call" week, so, while I had allocated a whole 12 hours last night to rest (combined sleep, reading and overall immobility), the best laid plans came crashing down, with two calls perfectly spaced to ensure that I ...
I was headed back from a late day at work, and decided to stop at Taco Bell because I had a short window of time before I needed to be at the school. I placed my order and waited in line 20 minutes, something I've come to expect. After 20 minutes, when I got to the window, they still hadn't assembled the order. They were arguing about what should be in it when it was right there on the stinking ticket. I had ordered a chicken quesadilla "value meal". Well, after they finally gave me the or...
On another forum I frequent, the question was asked about fingerprinting children as a form of ID to speed up the lunch line. I’m going to leave you with your thoughts on that, while I take a few steps back. When I was in high school, we read the standard dystopian novels. Orwell’s “1984” and Huxleys “Brave New World” were required reading, especially among the G/T set, which is where I spent much of my academic career. It was years ago when Ritalin and Prozac be...
Here's the latest in the "I hate hidden fees" category: A friend of mine by the name of Sam Doores (look for him; he's one of the truly great folksingers of this generation, which is why you won't find him on a major label!) called up as he is preparing to head this way for our Woody Guthrie Tribute that we hold every October. We had promised him back in July that if he would come out, we would pay his expenses. And so I headed to the Amtrak and Greyhound sites (he's heading from NYC by train...
In the never ending debate, "Is Microsoft a monopoly" that resurfaced on another thread (in forums, the only surer topic to reappear than Godwin's Law is the Microsoft monopoly argument), it was pointed out that at the time of the antitrust suit, Microsoft had several thousand competitors. Now, first of all, let me say that most Americans have no idea what a monopoly is and why Microsoft is not one. Because that's not the topic of this article, however, I'm going to state that point and move ...
I don't usually do movie reviews; I feel there are a lot of folks out there who do better than I. But after seeing "Facing the Giants", I felt this was one movie review I had to write. The first thing that struck me was that I've seen this movie before. About a billion times. It's the kind of schmaltz that evangelical organizations have put out for 30 years, with slightly better production values (although, unfortunately, the acting quality hasn't improved). While it may be tempting to set...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070923/ap_on_en_ot/obit_marceau;_ylt=AprZu7Yegd8h2AfGUiqn3V.s0NUE Marcel Marceau, easily the most famous mime ever, has passed away at 84. While mime is a much ridiculed and parodied art, Marceau easily brought it to a level of recognition that few others could ever achieve. He was an artist in the truest sense of the word. But (trying to beat the rest of the Internet to the punchlines) how, exactly, do you eulogize someone like that?
The Woody Guthrie Tribute here will be going on in just two weeks. And as the chairman for the event, I've been going back and forth with different people on just how things will be laid out this year. Our biggest controversy this year is over hot dogs. See, it's my position the hot dogs should be provided for free on the first night. When the issue of cost came up, I offered to donate them if it was a problem. Well, the board voted we'd do the hot dogs for free, and the board would pay. ...
As the pre-presidential campaign winds on, Hillary Clinton has revealed her plan for health care: a Nazi state in which failing to carry health care would become a criminal act. All the while, the left has been cheering her on, and accusing anyone NOT on the left of misogyny for daring to question Hillary. For the sake of this article, and sensibilities, I will avoid invoking the "B" word as applies to Ms. Clinton, as there are several other more creative and descriptive labels that apply. None ...
As I have mentioned several times previously, I will be purchasing a laptop that I will be using to run virtual machines. I am planning to use VMWare server to run these apps. On another machine, I have attemped unsucessfully to install Windows 95/98 (don't ask!). I am not sure but I believe the problems are related to the file format (FAT/FAT32 vs. NTFS). Assuming this is the case (please correct me if it is not), I would like to find the answers to the following: Do I need to create a pa...
I'm learning something. If you want to get a good look at human nature, enroll at a two year college. See, what I am finding is that, at this two year college, students who actually have goals and are working towards them are in the minority. It's why articles like Brad's about the difference between winners and losers hit home for me. Because they hit so close to where I live. In the time I've spent here, I've met some people I truly admire. These people knock my socks off wi...
One of the pitfalls of IT is that the demand is strong enough, a lot of people get hired out before they get their degrees, then never go back and finish. I'm trying to avoid that. But I got a clipping yesterday I can't ignore entirely. It is an IT position, and I am almost the perfect candidate. My only shortcoming is that it requires an Associates degree, and I am 3 months short. But since I can make it work with my schedule, I will at least discuss the position with these guys. After all, ...
OK, I tried to embed this but it didn't work. Here's a "new spiritual" from Lawrence Welk back in the day. If you can't enjoy THIS, man, sumtin's wrong! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye3ecDYxOkg And further, from the "I can't believe it" file, here's the Velvet Underground. Check out the old folks dancin' to it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i48BP1PUoFI&mode=related&search=
It was early summer between my ninth and tenth grade years. It was that special part of summer where school was out, the fragrance of flowers still filled the air, yet the summer heat had not overtaken us enough to chase us into the shade with large glasses of sun tea and a garden hose. When a man's fancy still turned to love. I drove by her house every day upon finishing my paper route. We shared several classes, went to the same church, but no more than fifty words all told had passed betwe...