Let's Stamp Out Foolish Spending...Oh Nevermind!

iPhone, cost 500 or 600 bucks + tax, activations, mandatory contribution to the Steve Jobs vacation fund, etc., and people are buying them. Apple has limited purchases to 2 per customer. Remember that old quote about a fool and his money being soon parted? Folks this is nothing more than a cell phone with iPod capabilities!!! Think about it, they paired up with AT&T as a provider!!!! If I ever become Emperor of the Known Universe and find the sorry SOB that came up with that "least dropped calls" ad campaign he will be shot like the rabid dog he is in life! The campaign should be, "Come over to AT&T where u never have to say goodbye because we'll cut you off before you are through talking...oh yeh, we're the phone company - we don't care!"

When these ridiculously priced phones start breaking down or you have to replace the battery don't whine about the cost, you deserve to be charged any amount chosen by Apple. After watching an interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates last month I decided Jobs might be loosening up. He's still a damn site better than that idiot clown prince Ballmer. Anyway, Jobs was cordial, informative and actually smiled once or twice. His humorous banter was almost on the same level as Bill's. I'd hoped for a more decent and competitive prices on the newest Apple computers. Instead we get served a bowl of the same old hype. Make it a little different; promote the hell out of it and watch the suckers line up.

No, I haven't physically held one. Going to do that tomorrow, if the local Orchard dude has one in stock. Besides, I suspect one of my friends will buy one. Begging is useless, besides it's her money. Ahhhh, humans.

"In general, my children refused to eat anything that hadn't danced on TV."
~Erma Bombeck

Phriedites and Guilders

Two new sites will show up soon. They are http://www.guildwarsammo.com and http://www.southernphried .com. They've been in the making for several months. There's a "coming soon" notice at SouthernPhried and it's obvious that GuildWarsAmmo will be about a favorite pastime on the web. These should be fun places to visit and there may even be a laugh or two found.



Fellow guilders, we want a large build section so please participate. There may be a fan fiction section that takes place in this realm. Everyone take good screen shots of your character and include a short biography, list of accomplishments, fav hang outs, etc. Contact all fellow players and let them know GWAmmo is about to arrive. Everyone can take part in making this a great site. I see T-shirts in our future.

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins."
~Benjamin Franklin

The Great Around the World, Out n Out, All Seeking Mouse Hunt

A buddy of mine has lost her mouse. No doubt it was in her laptop bag when I worked on it. Actually I worked on two laptops and may have put it in the wrong bag. A phone call will be made. So writing about meeses today came to mind.

I use a Logitech G5. When I can afford it and find one on someone's shelf I'll buy another. This is an awesome laser mouse that has been around for over a year. It has been superseded by some other model, but I want another one just like this one. No it is not wireless and my ZBoard keyboard is also a wired device. Gamer mentality. Anyway, here's a good review - Barry's Rigs n Reviews.



That little orange tray thangy in the picture is the box of weights that comes with it. You can adjust the weight to your comfort level and this device feels good in the hand. If you're a gamer buy one of these devices. Ashby Rhett Culpepper, III, Esq., Jr., endorses this whammajamma product too. The 'G' is supposed to stand for gamer, but I think GREAT is more appropriate.

Anyone else have a great mouse to endorse? Use the comments.

“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”
~Jon Hammond

A Hilton Holiday Reunion

Paris is free. It looks like hanging Judge Mikeypoo Sauer is sour on the world because his circus like antics have shown him in a bad light. Again, let me say that Paris should have been punished for driving on a suspended license due to a previous DUI. Methinks 23 days in jail is a bit far fetched. Hell, she's harmless as long as she's not drinking and driving. She skipped out of the jailhouse! Wow, many has been the time I have seen the followers of the evil one intimidate folks by skipping at them. Lordy, don't let her loose on us. The shame and pain of it all!

I think community service and a HEAVY fine would have been much better. And saved the taxpayers some money. Dissenters have the right to disagree and I am sure you will. So c'mon all you Judge Sauer Nazis and let me have it. In the meantime hi ho, hi ho...

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
~Albert Einstein

A Nice Binary Dance

The new processor for this machine arrived yesterday. I replaced a 2.2 gig Athlon 64, 512K L2 cache single core that has done a good job, but strained under the pressure of Guild Wars. Even though it would hold up under this intense game being open and having several browser windows open the monitor showed a constant 100% usage. The new CPU is an Opteron 2.4 gig, 2 megs of L2 cache and it is dual core. The difference in these two chips is phenomenal.

One of the most attractive things about Guild Wars is the rendering. This game is beautiful. It is not cartoonish looking like World of Warcraft. The skies look real, the oceans and rivers look real and fire looks real. Detail is great. You can see the individual blades of grass blowing in a field. Beagle makes us slow down every once in a while and look around at the tremendous work accomplished by the coders at ArenaNet - NCSoft. Thanks Beagle. You can take a look at some of the artwork at GuildWars.com.

This motherboard is over 6 months old the 939 socket is no longer current, bleeding edge technology. It has been replaced by the AM2 socket. Processors were becoming scarce for the 939. A decision was made to keep this machine intact and upgrade the CPU. This was done after much discussion and research online. It's a true winner. The ease of installation, the massive heat sink (it looks like something out of Star Wars with copper tubes and stuff everywhere), the instant compatibility all combined for a very easy switch. The most difficult part of the project was pushing the case back into the desk. Thanks Mudslingr.

Since this is my first AMD machine in many years it's nice to report such results. Now i must get away from it and go work. It will be fun to return home tonight. Enjoy Tuesday, Monday was yesterday (I hope, lol).

"Do you think dyslexic people have difficulty dancing to 'Y.M.C.A.'?"
~Dave Sokolowski

Just 5 More Minutes, Okay Okay How About 4?

Gamers beware, there's a 12 step program coming. Interesting article over at ArsTechnica. Gamers seem to be a subset of internet addicts. Hey we have one step down already, we know how to drink coffee. I'm not so sure this isn't carrying it a little too far. They talk a lot about the "parents" and how they will be asked to deal with it. Well, what about the parents parents? Most people I know that play GuildWars ARE parents. Sheesh!

I must go now...and get out my Palm PDA to schedule work for today so I can see how many hours are leftover that can be used playing my favorite online game before beddybye. Gee, this new exercise walking thing is sure taking up time that could be spent killing monsters, conquering kingdoms and vanquishing the evil one and his servants. Oh well, no one ever said it would be easy. Thanks for the tip Ashby and y'all have a decent Monday.

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to play online games and they won't bother you for weeks."
~Billy Wobblynife

Greed is Disgusting

"I am a true believer in the iPhone -- it's a beautiful design," said David Chamberlain, a longtime industry analyst at In-Stat, a research firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz. "I am not a true believer in spending $600, even on something like that."

These things may fool me and Apple may sell a quarter million in two days. Then they may only sell a few thousand. Even Apple users should see the stupidity in spending $600.00 for a cell phone. This will inflate prices across the board. If only Darth Jobs had the decency to sell them for $200.00 and $300.00. There's most likely an appreciable profit at those prices. Apple and Darth Jobs are the epitome of greed. Don't believe me? Try and change that battery in your iPod. Then check the price they charge to do it for you, hah! Anyway, CNNMoney has an informative article.

"It is my heart-warmed and world-embracing Christmas hope and aspiration that all of us, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the admired, the despised, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage (every man and brother of us all throughout the whole earth), may eventually be gathered together in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss, except the inventor of the telephone."
~Mark Twain, Christmas greeting, 1890

Went for a Walk

Wow what a great Saturday. Had a nice walk around the neighborhood this afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine. I was online for just a few minutes to post news to my Guild and spent the rest of the day reading, eating and even watched some TV. These combined efforts have helped me avoid taking any medication for back pain. Flexiril does the job, but it zones me out for an extended period of time. And it has a hangover effect.

What a great lazy day. It's back to work tomorrow.

"If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk."
~Raymond Inmon

WiFi at 300 Feet

The majority of this week has involved installing wireless access points and hardware firewalls. The jobs have made me change my mind about a brand that I swore off several years ago, NetGear. I had 4 NetGear b/g routers show up bad in the box. These devices were always more difficult to configure, but they had greater range than their competitors. Enter the Netgear WAG-302;



This is product will cost you a little money. You can find it for $229.99 at CDW which is one of the most reliable suppliers on the internet. The extra money is worth it if you are looking for range. You will need a routing mechanism since this is a true access point. This is the first access point used by the beach house that will deliver the 300-400 feet range all manufacturers claim is possible. Most are lucky to get anything over 50-60 feet. Of course structure and atmospheric conditions will determine the limitations.

This test was done in an area adjacent to 4 other wireless networks and delivered the signal through a brick wall. It is dual band with "A" on one channel and "B/G" on the other. Yes it's a little pricy, but if you have need of the range this looks like a good product. Time will tell.

"I regularly read Internet user groups filled with messages from people trying to solve software incompatibility problems that, in terms of complexity, make the U.S. Tax Code look like Dr. Seuss."
~Dave Barry

Need for Speed

After some research and pre-buy remorse, a new CPU is on the way for the Zevon machine, named in honor of Warren Zevon one of my favorite musicians. The laptop's name is Zappa. Anyway, this is what Mudslingr and I decided to use:


AMD Opteron 180 Denmark 2.4GHz Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model OSA180CDBOX -

64 bit Support: Yes
HT: 1000MHz
Hyper-Transport Support: Yes
L1 Cache: 128KB+128KB
L2 Cache: 2 x 1MB
Manufacturing Tech: 90 nm
Multi-Core: Dual-Core
Processors Type: Server
Series: Opteron
Virtualization Technology Support: No
Model #: OSA180CDBOX
Item #: N82E16819103582


Since the motherboard is a 939 socket the choices are somewhat limited. Mud and I read the reviews and felt this was the most bang for the buck. The reviews are glowing. Only cons were price and a few people had problems overclocking. I could care less about overclocking. This is a processor built for servers, similar to the Xeon chips made by Intel. Several gamers recommended this chip. Since this is a machine with SLI (two video cards bonded) it deserves a fast CPU. BTW, thanks Mud for all the help.

It's late, and my mind is weary. Nice that the weather is pleasant and the windows can stay open. Time for some tremulous dreams.

"Fatigue is the best pillow."
~Benjamin Franklin

Ballmer, Please Leave the Planet and That's Plain English

Last week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dismissed Google's complaints, saying at the Detroit Economic Club that the rival's objections were "baseless."
"We continue to comply with the consent decree we signed with the U.S. government in recognition to the findings around our position with Windows," Ballmer said, according to Reuters. "We think all claims to the contrary are baseless."

The above is a quote found at CNET.com. Today Microsoft, probably due to the advice of Bill Gates and that's just a guess, gave in announcing that Google would be included in the service pack update due out later this year. Well, this is a good idea. With the exception of new computer sales, Vista is not desirable in the retail market. There are issues with drivers abounding, It is EXTREMELY hardware intensive (forget having 1 gig of RAM you better make it 2!) and dadgum it all, it's priced too high. Stick with your XP or 2000 operating system until after the first service pack and then take another look.

Yes I do run Vista on one machine. It's all I can afford and afford is a real iffy word concerning this matter. I opted for the 32 bit version and Ashby Rhett Culpepper, III, Esq., Jr., tells me the 64 bit version is a damn site better. He also admits drivers can be an issue. How do I like Vista? The Ultimate version is on my gaming machine and it has some nice features. Driver issues have had me on extra medication at times. Basically, the current system won't be changed unless absolutely necessary. Just trying to upgrade a sound or video driver will send this operating system into chaos. You know, don't fix somethin' that's not broke. When the time comes, I'll build another gaming machine and use XP. Guild Wars was much better using that operating system. Still, being in the computer field, it's necessary to have a working Vista box.

Steve Ballmer needs to wipe that ton of egg off his ugly face and take his billions into retirement. Spend some time like Bill and Melinda doing good things. Create a foundation to further education on the planet. Hell, create a fund to help these poor jibbering souls that vaguely try tech help on the phone. Start a foundation to help them learn our language. Now there's a project worth considering. After all, the pennies paid to them are highway robbery so what can one expect? Better yet, bring those jobs home and share some of those ridiculous profits enjoyed by corporate tech companies. I hate to admit it, but Darth Jobs is looking much more attractive these days than Clown Prince Ballmer.

You may speak another language in the US of A, but you will never gain access to higher education and technical fields without a working knowledge of English. Nope, nay, not here in this country. Let me further expound by saying accents don't bother me. Inability to communicate with me just isn't tolerated. Can I get an Amen brothers and sisters!?

Wonder if the Windows Nazis will react to this post? They've been quiet of late. Probably not happy with Vista either,lol.

"Let's not become so worried about not offending anybody that we lose the ability to distinguish between respect and paranoia."
~Larry King, about political correctness, How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication

Moma Cass Sang a Song

Today is Monday. Ask me how I know, c'mon ask me, ask me! For two weeks I've had work planned for today and this morning before 7:30AM two emergencies have showed up and one is over 50 miles away. I even verified the scheduled work yesterday. Hopefully patience and tolerance can be exercised. When people are down and can't compute it makes for complications, especially when all their business is done online. Sometimes Monday gets you and on rare occasions it turns out to be just another day in the week.

Waiting on the dryer to finish and then it's road time. The cell phone is turned on and working. Hang in there. Tuesday starts just after midnight.

"Monday Monday, can't trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could youleave and not take me."
~Mamas & Papas

Daddy is a Happy Boy!

It was a pleasant day. Beagle, Mudslingr, Forest and Ashby came by and we ate shrimp forever. 10lbs split five ways is a lotta food. It was just about as good as it gets. Verdana and Uncle Snake sent 6lbs of Mello Joy whole bean coffee and we had some Boca Java (try the Bananas Foster - it'll make your tongue slap yo brains out!) that Beagle and Mud gifted on a recent birthday. Caffeine and food. Of course there was some Guild Wars played. I was sorta' out of it after eating and everyone let me nap. Nice to have such friends. Thank you, thank you. Y'all are the bomb!

To both families that had weddings yesterday: please forgive me. Something came up and I could not get away. It involved a visit from out of town and the situation would not permit my getting away long enough to attend either function. My panic attack was barely tolerable anyway, lol.

"Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century."
~Mark Twain

Regedit is My Life

The Smitfraud creeps have not gone away. Cleaning a PC with over 2000 infections and this stuff is all over it. Someone decided to download a bushel basket of trouble by clicking on "free" stuff. This one is bad. It has to be saved due to a large scale portfolio of family pictures. Please, most every PC comes with a DVD or CD burner so back up your valuable data. If you don't like using this storage media spend under a 100 bucks and get an external Hard Drive. Most come with backup software, are easily installed and easy to use. There's even a scheduled backup capability with just about all of them.

Now it's back to several MORE hours of registry cleaning. Wish me luck and have a great Saturday!

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
~William James

And Now for Something Completely Different...

Communication is mysterious. It still amazes me how some people, actually most, think that technicians can read minds. On a daily basis it overwhelms me that some people think techs can make computers do their biddings by using the power of the force. There is no force being used, nor witch doctoring, nor telepathy and very little voodoo. Don't ask me about the chicken in the trunk unless you really want to know.

Let's say a person calls me and wants a backup manipulated on the phone. That person is informed my current status is thrashing down the highway in the hooptiemobile and I will be in front of a computer in 1 hour or so. Then she says don't rush because as long as this is done in the next day or two it'll be fine, she actually has some other things more pressing. Then, remember techs don't read minds, another tech is called in to do a simple job that could have been performed under a maintenance contract by remoting in and there would have been no service call. A day later the phone call is made to arrange a time so the person could watch the procedure and know how to do it the next time. This tech is then informed of the actions taken.

While we are on the subject of technicians, let me say that we are territorial. There's a VERY valid reason for this obsession with control. Each tech, especially those maintaining networks, has a need to know about every change to a network or computer. Nothing is more frustrating than to implement protocol and then find it has been violated. We perceive things in order and don't abide chaos. Okay, most of the time anyway, lol. Changes made by clients on machines are to be expected, but shifting around backup files, changing a path in a way not normally used, etc., will send us into a reeling hell filled with anxiety that has us pushing the panic button until we return all functions to their regular state. And we are all just a little bit different. Yep, that's right, we are human beings too.

So, if you work with computers, and you do or you wouldn't be reading this, please take everything said here to heart especially that part about techs being human. We have feelings even if the exterior is cranky or casual. In a world full of rude, crass people being one does not help. Be nice. A lot of us know karate and/or voodoo and carry weapons of mass destruction (See posts in the archives). Fellow techs and people who understand this concept I expect comments today. Let us help by extending the hand of knowledge.

In the words of that grand Texas philosopher Ed Coffin, "Have a better than expected day."

"The Internet is the world's largest library. It's just that all the books are on the floor."
~John Allen Paulos

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer is an Idiot

Sorry, the Paris Hilton debacle interests me. It's diversion. If you Google about this overblown news media extravaganza there are some folks really upset with this judge. Is he elected? Did someone appoint him? If you are looking for a sure bet put your money on no re-election for Mikey. Most polls heavily favor an easier sentence for Paris.

Yes, I know what she did is not right. If she had been here, in North Mississippi, driving drunk then violating probation by driving while her license was suspended well, under the jail comes to mind. Think we can slap a home restriction sentence on her and spend more time doing worthwhile law enforcement things like finding Osama and killing him? I think Judge Mikey is just looking for publicity. It's working.

Any opinions? Agree? Disagree? Use the comments. Let me know your thoughts on the subject. Later.

"Treating Paris like everyone else would mean at most 2 days in jail. Non violent misdemeanor convicts typically serve less than 10% of their sentences. This absurd jail sentence is nothing more than grandstanding by both a felony perjurer prosecutor with political ambitions, Rocky Delgadillo, and a Reagan appointee judge long known for his extreme right wing views as well as poor peer review from his fellow judges, so poor in fact that he was actually demoted. Any doubters must ask themselves why else would a judge with so much experience be assigned to a courtroom usually reserved for beginners?"
~Baldurr

Midsummer's Night Marsupial Dream

It's 4:45AM and my pulse may be back to normal. Being in a sound sleep dreaming wonderful things about conquests in GuildWars, my sudden awakening was awful frightening. Thought that Yahoo had sent in fighter jets and they were bombing the house. There was a horrible loud banging just under my window and sounds that seem to originate in the bowels of hell. Growling and gnashing and hissing and whining and yelping all combined to make me grab a weapon before opening the window shade to see what was trying to gnaw its way into the beach house.

Arnold, opossumus austriabodicus germanicus, had cornered another possum! They mangled part of a direction sign to Margaritaville, beach house, etc., given to me by Hoppa and Mrs. Hoppa. It can be repaired, but enough is enough. Realizing someone might drive by and see me standing there in my underwear the door was swiftly shut and a robe was donned. After running outside getting louder than the two combatants, Arnold let his victim get up. The poor end of beating became a gray blur as he slipped around the fence. Arnold hissed at me, gave me the possum finger, flexed his right paw showing off the Mom tattoo, waddled around me and climbed back up the oak tree.

It was then I noticed his favorite grill turned over. Apparently Arnold was upset because a usurper was playing with one of his favorite toys. The grill is going in the trash. Now it's time to sleep again...with a weapon. Have a casual day and may it be free of warring possum factions.

"To insult someone we call him "bestial." For deliberate cruelty and nature, "human" might be the greater insult."
~Isaac Asimov

Take a Little Trip

Ever mentioned my plans of handling the first 24 hours if I happen to become Emperor of the Known Universe? You know, the strategy about shutting down Yahoo, evacuating the building and then burning it down so the cooties don't spread? After this action there's the matter of rounding up ALL spyware creeps, which will probably take several days (that damned Osama may be behind this plot to make humans suffer), loading them all on a rocket ship with Osama and the rest of the creeps that are terrorizing the world then launching it into the sun.

Please go to Google and search for these words - Yahoo and spyware. If after reading known facts about these idiots you still persist in using their horrible junk please don't come to the beach house. Whatever is making you Yahoo may be contagious and I don't want it. Can we say drones for garbageware creeps? Okay, this might be somewhat exaggerated - everyone knows the Emperor of the Known Universe title will most likely never be bestowed upon my GOP, God fearing, fun lovin' self.

Of late spyware has run rampant even shutting down a new Toshiba/Vista uber laptop. The hard drive had to experience Killdisk before we could reinstall Vista. This upsets me. I'll try to stay off the topic for a few days. The Good Lord knows that if I stay alive this dislike and despise of Yahoo and the rest of the jerks cannot stay suppressed. Now for medication and prayers asking for tolerance and help for the misguided. Later.

"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right."
~Mark Twain

Wave Propagating Yet?

Folks, we will eventually all be wireless. Think about it. Air is the path of least resistance, our natural resources will be saved, there won't be any waste disposal problems, you can use your portable anywhere there's connectivity - like sitting by the pool or fireplace, and wifi has grown in technology at the speed of light. The internet will enter into a wireless router or access point and then bless the air waves with Dave Barry's great discussion about all our configsys files. You can read more at NetworkWorld. Thanks goes out to Slashdot for this great link.

Later.

"The Internet is a telephone system that's gotten uppity."
~Clifford Stoll

Was the first Paris Incarceration a Beta Test?

Let's see now, Paris is back in jail? Is this confusing or what? You "left-coasters" are having a rough time with judges and sheriffs bitch fighting about her being in jail. If the jails are crowded put the ankle thangy on her and have her spend the days doing public service. That's simple isn't it? As long as she's not bombed outta her mind she seems capable enough to help someone in need. I'm suprised the Gropenator Govenator Arnold hasn't put his two cents worth in about all this bruhaha. The sheer travesty of it all. My, my.

If anyone is interested Microsoft's current problem with updates seems to be resolved. For the last week it's been a major task to download anything from that site. Two machines are purring now as they crash down the crash preventatives. Ah Windows, the company that believes in beta testing their product on a retail level. It could be worse. Yep, they could have roomed Paris with a large swarthy woman named Bubb-ette or Rosie. Meanwhile, I'll just worry about Windows. It's for sure the winds will change in both the Windows and Paris scenarios before sundown.

"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water."
~W.C. Fields



Have a casual Sunday.

The Thirty Second DJs Ride Again

Today was a good day. Doctor's appointment was encouraging, the weather was hot, but not as humid as forecast, traveled several hundred miles today without incident after spending the night with a great friend, and am home napping between sessions of Guild Wars. There are two computers on the bench doing updates and they are responding nicely to recent changes.

Neal and I sat last night and listened to music while working on his laptops. He has a killer sound system and a 60" Mitsubishi Whammajamma Mega Screen TV. Nice to be in Tishomingo County and out in the country. Birds were singing last night. It's quiet there. Neal has been an awesome, awesome friend for a long time. He drives a 1947 Chevrolet pickup truck that's just too kewl. Well, that's one of his vehicles. He's into cars and shows the truck a good bit winning most of the time. CC, his wife, was away. She's kewl too. Nice evening after a long, hard day in the road.

This morning I stopped by Lisa's for coffee. The Laundry Witch came in and they needed to leave on a shopping trip. Pity the poor clerks, lol. Great coffee and they always make me laugh. LW has a crisis going about getting her car waxed. I slipped out before she volunteered me.

Nice to slow down some. Tomorrow it's back to the grind to meet deadlines. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.

"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails."
~Roberts

If You know More Than the Tech Then Why Bother?

Why won't people listen? Why? One of the most amazing things about the world of the internet is how people ignore good advice and keep using bad product. Damn it all, if you are using that sorry ass Yahoo you will get spyware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They call it adware, but it's all the same to me. These jerks still persist in infecting your computer with all that Claria, 180Solutions, etc. There's articles everywhere on the net about it.

It's crossed my mind to add an extra charge to anyone that brings me a computer with a Yahoo homepage. In the past I have told someone that if they wanted me to look at their machine, stop using Yahoo. Six months later it was returned with Claria, 180Solutions, etc. all over it. That damned Weatherbug was in the sys tray. There were over 800 instances of garbageware on it. After several hours of removing this junk and putting the machine back in working order I decided to charge 2 hours bench time. The actual time was double that. They were pissed. Then they really got pissed when I told them just don't bother with the bill and don't come back.

They paid me later. I still won't work on this machine. So if your tech has tried to help you and you've acted like a jerk and ignored him, suffer the consequences. Your pocketbook should be lightened. This is my bitch of the week and I'll try to do better. YAHOO SUCKS! Later.

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"
~Winnie the Pooh

Good Golly I'm Relieved, Are You?

What a relief. Gosh, sleep will be better and the anxiety level will drop. Life is a constant bundle of surprises. It's such a great "righting" of travesty. Will miracles never cease? Paris is out of jail. Let's see, she was on probation for drunk driving and ignored the courts and drove without a license then caught doing this deed. Sorry, if that bracelet chafes her ankle it won't bother me. Now, for the most poignant question of the day: What will the news media do now? Oh yeah, forgot. They'll go back to bashing Bush and promoting the Hillarybeast. Thank the Good Lord for Fox News.

Her buddy Nicole Richie was on Letterman last night. She's worried about jail time due to her recent druggin', drinkin' n drivin' incident. Then there's Lohan. Will the madness ever stop? Hollywood is full of liberal idiot half-wits like Penn, Baldwin, Clooney, Mr. Susan Sarandon, etc., and now insane young drunken women that are preoccupied with ripping up and down the highways and byways. Please don't anybody tell them about Mississippi. Remember, we're redneck, backwards, unsophisticated and the whole state is like a desert with monster lizards and mosquitoes that steal babies. They don't want to come here for sure. It'd be horrible! Please, please pass this information on to ALL of Hollywood.

Must go get more ignert now. Us'un Mississippians have our reputation to uphold. Later y'all.

"This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice."
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Annual Round of Barnyard Material

The Invitation and Osama is Dead emails are making the rounds again. These are known problems that include a low grade trojan, but no olympic torch hard drive killer. Just don't open them, even if they look friendly. Delete them and be done with it. You can do a search at Snopes. Be sure and have your popup blocker activated. Another good site going bad. Greed is a horrible thing.

"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
~David Neal Jennings

News From the Realm of iDarth

Listened to an iPod again. Then listened to my 4 year old Creative Zen. Sorry folks, you've been had...the iPods just don't sound that good. You're paying almost the same money for 5 gigs of storage that I paid for 30 gigs over 4 years ago. Yes, you have been victimized by cuteness and marketing strategy. The form factor has reduced in size since that time, but the alternative Creative products are fantastic buys when compared to the overinflated price of your Apple iPod. Am I throwing dirt in your face. Yes, the soil of awareness and reasoning has been tossed. Why?

The Apple iPhone debuts the end of this month. It is in a nice package, has no buttons, looks good and in the traditional Apple aspect of marketing is WAYYYYYYYY overpriced. Darth Jobs, head evildoer and known horse's ass of the orchard variety, expects you to pay $499.00 and $599.00 for a cell phone that does exactly the same as those units your cell phone provider will furnish you for a just few bucks. iPhone is basically a cellphone with some iPod functionality included. An alternative? Try the older model Sony 810 for well under $100.00. Sony has several new models for reasonable prices too. Why am I not linking to these tidbits of knowledge? So, maybe you will Google this and learn the information first hand. Hopefully Apple users have acquired the ability to Google.

If you want to spend your hard earned dollars on Paris Hilton like cuteness (she's in jail you know) then by all means have at it. Just thought you might like some info before making such a purchase. Read more about it at WBOC16. What's next? The iPencil for $199.95? Bet it will be carbon core based with a surround of natural wood offered in MacIntosh Yellow or a variety of pastel colors with the optional delete mechanism installed for an additional $50.00.

"If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me."
~Song title by Jimmy Buffet

Monday Mission

Good morning! It's Monday and my dead level best will be done to start the new week with a positive, worthwhile day. After being under the weather accompanied by my old nemesis Mr. Backache, it's good to get up and down, move around and not wear a frown. Ahhhhhh, Dow Chemical said it best, "Better living through modern chemistry." Flexiril is a wonderful drug and stops the pain. The down side is that for the past few days I've been out like a Sandoz lab rat. As Jimmy Buffett says, "Dreamt me some tremulous dreams." Did get industrious yesterday and tried to weed eat. That project lasted 5-7 minutes.

McAfee has reported that there has been a drop in malicious search results. Know what this tells us? Be on alert for malicious search results. McAfee is one of the worst companies in the world. They rank right up there with the phone company, COMCAST, AOL and that horrible, horrible Cingular or AT&T - whatever. If I provided such poor service I'd be changing my name every few months too. Please don't use McAfee products. They are useless. Anyway there's an article at PCMag.com.

Time to finish a PC that was crashed by spyware. Most critical files were saved, but this was close. Please back up your data. Later.

"A Mission Statement is a dense slab of words that a large organization produces when it needs to establish that its workers are not just sitting around downloading Internet porn."
~Dave Barry