January 2004 Archives

I made soup this weekend. I feel much better now.

In a just universe, the grocers of St. Louis would be rounded up and executed for crimes against bread.

My computer is rebuilt, working, and back online. I didn't have to reinstall Windows, just run an automated repair. Also, I had to reactivate Windows (over the phone, since I didn't run network cable into the other room), but it was less painless than I had anticipated. Anyway, I got it working without losing any data. I might post details and specs later.

Preparations for system rebuild:

• Clear, well-lighted work area - check
• Toolkit and parts bin - check
• Grounding strap - check
• Backups of critical files - check
• Windows install disk and CD key - check
• Device drivers - check
• Hardware install guides - check
• Hardcopy of critical sections of online documentation - check
• Network configuration notes - check
• New components - check

That's all I can think of. My biggest worry at this point is that I'll probably need to call up Micros~1 in order to reactivate my Windows XP installation. I might also have to reinstall XP to take advantage of hyperthreading on my new processor. With luck, I'll be back up and running in a few hours. See you on the other side.

Santa brought me, among other things, computer parts.

Unfortunately, I've spent the past couple weeks doing battle with evil RMA elves. I'll say more about that once I'm sure I don't have to be nice to said elves anymore. But now I have a sufficient set of parts (which might even work) to rebuild my computer, as I do from time to time. Unless something comes up, that's pretty much how I plan to spend the upcoming weekend.

Well, most of the weekend. The travelling computer show comes to town this weekend. Although the last couple of shows have been especially lame, I'm still going to see if I can scrounge any useful last-minute bits.

dammitdammitdammit

My Sony Clie PDA seems to be crapping out on me; the bloody thing crashes every time I try to do something on it. I'm still trying to get it working properly, but I needed something to work with in the interim. While I don't use the device as much as I expected to when I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago, there are a couple of applications on which I am hopelessly dependent. So, I decided to pick up a relatively inexpensive interim / backup PDA to keep me going.

The Zire is the current bare-minimum Palm handheld; only 2MB RAM, no expansion storage, no backlight. It performs the functions I really, desparately need, though. What drives me crazy, however, is the new input system on the latest generation of Palm OS. It could just be that I'm used to the old system rather than the new, but I don't think so. Under the original Graffiti system, every letter and number could be entered using a single stroke, at least as an alternate form. Graffiti 2 requires multiple strokes for some of the most common letters. I might be able to adjust in time, but I doubt I'll ever like the new version as well as the original.

66.66666666666667% of me is a huge nerd! How about you? [via Xkot]

I replaced my cellphone over the weekend, since I needed to renew my contract anyway. The new model (a Nokia 3589i) can download ringtones, so I figured I'd see what was available.

"Clubbed to Death" from The Matrix.

Hey, all the guys in Tech Support were impressed.

I was all set to get up in arms about NBC's idiotic, TiVo-disrupting scheduling tactics. But then, I realized that I don't watch anything on NBC anymore. (The West Wing just ain't what it used to be.) Solves that problem easily, doesn't it?

The '04 Eve thing turned out to be a bit bigger than anyone was expecting. The organizers were expecting 25,000 attendees; while I've heard estimates up to 250,000, I'd guess it was probably somewhere around 100,000. I managed to park before the lot filled up (which must have been quite quick, as there were plenty of empty spaces when I did), but I was in line for a ferris wheel ticket when they stopped handing them out.

Somehow, my mind was expecting something a lot closer to the First Night parties I've been to in the past. While First Night Saint Louis at the zoo was part of the overall '04 Eve celebration, it was the only (relatively) alcohol-free area of the park. I was lucky enough to only encounter sloppy, happy drunks; from the sirens I heard in the distance, I have to believe there were more than a few of the angry, belligerent kind.

Anyway, I had a pretty good time for wanting nothing more than to not spend New Year's Eve cooped up in my apartment. I saw some of the shows on the main stage, and wandered around the still Christmas-lighted zoo for a while, catching a few assorted performances there. The highlight for me was the fireworks show, one of the best I've seen in a few years.

Anyways, Happy New Year, all!