The thoughts that float through my head when I remember to jot them down. An insight into the madness that is me.
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This is where you stick random tidbits of information about yourself.
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Saturday, February 15, 2003
Well as I sit up in my theater room surfing wirelessly with my powerbook, I'm forced to comment on my attempts to get my Linksys Wireless-G adapter to connect to my Airport Extreme base station.
In short, it doesn't work.
The adapter connect just fine, and negotiates with the access point. But it won't get in IP address, or if you assign one it doesn't work. Of course I appear to be doing something cutting edge - like trying to get two different brands of products to work. I guess I'll attempt to contact Linksys in the morning and see if they will offer any insight.
10:38 PM
Got my Pronto TSU-3000 Today. Had enough time to snap batteries in it, turn it on and go 'Cool' and then dread the thought of having to program the thing from scratch since my last pronto crapped out.
hopefully, i'll get lucky and somewhere on one of my many computers is a backup of the CCF that was on the old pronto, and I can convert it to the new format and it'll just work, allowing me to use the remote while I spend days drawing out a new one.
Ah, the things I do for my theater.
12:43 AM
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Why is it that news organizations find a memo dictating the worse case scenario for the shuttle in the air as a 'oh my god, they knew it would happen'. Engineers are paid to predict what could go wrong. They do.
This is different to the O-Ring debacle that destroyed the Challenger. That was neglegence. So far, it appears the Columbia was a true, honest to god, space related disaster. Meaning the orbiter was struck by something, man or extra-terrestrial made (and ET means not from earth only, no UFOs shooting down the Columbia folks) that impacted the left wing. There were no way to detect it immediately, and the shuttle broke apart on re-entry due to heat related wing failure.
That's my arm-chair quarterback theory at least. Until they say otherwise. But it just disgusts me that the media seems to pounce on any little thing related to the shuttle accident and parade it around like they could have prevented this.
Space is a dangerous place. The most dangerous place known to man. The only thing close to being as dangerous is water, but then you can hold your breath and not explode in the water. Not if yer 50,000 ft under, but in space, you can't hold your breath and swim to the next boat or something like that if something goes wrong.
It just disgusts me. The press is giving way to much play to the people wanting to send robots in space. Haven't these people watched Terminator? Odyssey 5? Technology is a tool, not a human replacement.
11:41 AM
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
What if Operating Systems Were Airlines?
DOS Airlines
Everybody pushes the airplane until it glides, then they jump on and let the plane coast until it hits the ground again, then they push again jump on again, and so on.
OS/2 Airlines
The terminal is almost empty, with only a few prospective passengers milling about. The announcer says that their flight has just departed, wishes them a good flight, though there are no planes on the runway. Airline personnel walk around, apologising profusely to customers in hushed voices, pointing from time to time to the sleek, powerful jets outside the terminal on the field. They tell each passenger how good the real flight will be on these new jets and how much safer it will be than Windows Airlines, but that they will have to wait a little longer for the technicians to finish the flight systems.
Once they finally finished you're offered a flight at reduced cost. To board the plane, you have your ticket stamped ten different times by standing in ten different lines. Then you fill our a form showing where you want to sit and whether the plane should look and feel like an ocean liner, a passenger train or a bus. If you succeed in getting on the plane and the plane succeeds in taking off the ground, you have a wonderful trip...except for the time when the rudder and flaps get frozen in position, in which case you will just have time to say your prayers and get in crash position.
Windows Air
The terminal is pretty and colorful, with friendly stewards, easy baggage check and boarding, and a smooth take-off. After about 10 minutes in the air, the plane explodes with no warning whatsoever.
Windows NT Air
Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes, and takes out all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.
Mac Airlines
All the stewards, stewardesses, captains, baggage handlers, and ticket agents look the same, act the same, and talk the same. Every time you ask questions about details, you are told you don't need to know, don't want to know, and would you please return to your seat and watch the movie.
Unix Airlines
Each passenger brings a piece of the airplane and a box of tools to the airport. They gather on the tarmac, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they want to build and how to put it together. Eventually, they build several different aircraft, but give them all the same name. Some passengers actually reach their destinations. All passengers believe they got there.
Wings of OS/400
The airline has bought ancient DC-3s, arguably the best and safest planes that ever flew, and painted "747" on their tails to make them look as if they are fast. The flight attendants, of course, attend to your every need, though the drinks cost $15 a pop. Stupid questions cost $230 per hour, unless you have SupportLine, which requires a first class ticket and membership in the frequent flyer club. Then they cost $500, but your accounting department can call it overhead.
Mach Airlines
There is no airplane. The passengers gather and shout for an airplane, then wait and wait and wait and wait. A bunch of people come, each carrying one piece of the plane with them. These people all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing constantly about what kind of plane they're building. The plane finally takes off, leaving the passengers on the ground waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. After the plane lands, the pilot telephones the passengers at the departing airport to inform them that they have arrived.
Newton Airlines
After buying your ticket 18 months in advance, you finally get to board the plane. Upon boarding the plane you are asked your name. After 6 times, the crew member recognizes your name and then you are allowed to take your seat. As you are getting ready to take your seat, the steward announces that you have to repeat the boarding process because they are out of room and need to recount to make sure they can take more passengers.
VMS Airlines
The passengers all gather in the hanger, watching hundreds of technicians check the flight systems on this immense, luxury aircraft. This plane has at least 10 engines and seats over 1,000 passengers. All the passengers scramble aboard, as do the necessary complement of 200 technicians. The pilot takes his place up in the glass cockpit. He guns the engines, only to realise that the plane is too big to get through the hangar doors.
BeOS Air
You have to pay for the tickets, but they're half the price of Windows Air, and if you are an aircraft mechanic you can probably ride for free. It only takes 15 minutes to get to the airport and you are cheuferred there in a limozine. BeOS Air only has limited types of planes that only only hold new luggage. All planes are single seaters and the model names all start with an "F" (F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, etc.). The plane will fly you to your destination on autopilot in half the time of other Airways or you can fly the plane yourself. There are limited destinations, but they are only places you'd want to go to anyway. You tell all your friends how great BeOS Air is and all they say is "What do you mean I can't bring all my old baggage with me?"
Linux Airlines
Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself. When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of the seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"
4:30 PM
Weird, that posted twice. wonder why.
4:30 PM
Command and Conquer: Generals arrived in the mail today. I hate it when I do that. I pre-ordered this game probably a year ago maybe. It finally shipped. Hope it's good.
Nothing exciting to report so far. pretty bah-hum day.
10:52 AM
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Looks like the new Pronto TS-3000 remote is finally out. investigating where to get it for the least amount of money at the moment. Need to get that old Pronto we broke replaced. Tired of juggling over 4 remotes every day for the last few months. One less remote for becca to torture us with, the better.
Of course, this just gives her one big expensive one to play with now. Heh.
2:44 PM
Monday, February 10, 2003
Not a bad day, but nothing exciting to report.
10:56 PM
Sunday, February 09, 2003
Went out to eat at a Japanese steak house this evening. While that in of itself isn't that exciting, the fact that it was the first time my wife and I went out to eat without baby girl. She stayed with Grammy & Papa and seemed to enjoy herself. I'm pretty sure Angi enjoyed herself as well.
Not much else going on. It's 1:00AM and Dark age of Camelot is still going strong on my PC. I say that because I'm in a group, they're attacking monsters I can do nothing about, so I'm sitting on my ass in the game watching my experience slowly climb up the chart. hopefully I'll get lvl 35 yet.
2:10 AM
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