Wired gives an awesome rundown of virtually every computer system released by Apple since the original Apple I (a circuit board, with no external case, which sold for $666.66)
read more | digg story
A journal of positive thinking and uplifting commentary where the glory of God is revealed through the oft-overlooked majesty of the mundane.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Things that were cool when I first discovered them and are still cool now
(in no particular order)
- Jeans
- Macintosh computers
- Star Wars
- Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Tool
- Driving
- digg.com
- Chips and salsa
- Vans shoes
- Super Nintendo
- Riding a bike
- Going to the lake (any lake)
- Compact discs
- Reading books
- Microwave popcorn
- Papa Murphy's
- HTML
- Chipotle
- Titan A.E.
- Humbuckers
- Woz
- Halo
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- Dave Barry
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Fixing Things
It's cool to mess with something for a while and then finally figure it out. Case in point: I was trying to update our podcast in Eddy's absence, and kept on getting a strange error from the server. Every time I would upload the new RSS feed I got an error message about the server running out of space. It's a very very tiny file, though, so I figured something else was actually causing the problem. After some google searching, lots of frustration, and an email to the hosting company, I finally figured it out on my own, and though the solution was kind of silly, it works, and that's the bottom line. So everyone should go download the latest episode of Square2. If you don't subscribe, just search for it on the iTunes podcast directory, or go to Square2 and subscribe from there.
I did a bit of shopping tonite and got, among other things, a bag of jelly beans ("Jelly Bird Eggs") and a can of Blue Diamonds almonds. My mom used to get those particular jelly beans when I was a kid, and man are they good. mmm...jelly beans... The Blue Diamonds were suggested by the guys at the DVD Weekly Podcast, and they are also mighty good. Mighty expensive too, but whoa...mega tasty.
Ok, time for bed.
I did a bit of shopping tonite and got, among other things, a bag of jelly beans ("Jelly Bird Eggs") and a can of Blue Diamonds almonds. My mom used to get those particular jelly beans when I was a kid, and man are they good. mmm...jelly beans... The Blue Diamonds were suggested by the guys at the DVD Weekly Podcast, and they are also mighty good. Mighty expensive too, but whoa...mega tasty.
Ok, time for bed.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
The danger of iTunes
When I was a kid I got an album called "The Great Adventure" by Steven Curtis Chapman, and about wore out the tape over several years of listening to it. I didn't know if it was rock, country, gospel, or even rap, but I didn't care. It was just really really cool. I lost the tape several years ago, though, and since then I've had it on my "I gotta get that someday" list. I've looked around at used CD stores to no avail, and did a bit of searching online, but then tonite I finally decided to go for it and snag the album off iTunes. I think the beauty, and the danger, of the iTunes music store is that it's just so darn easy to use. Got an itchin' for a tune? It's one oh-so-easy click away. So I broke down and got the album, and wow, it's so awesome. I forgot how good it was, in fact, and I should have done this years ago. But isn't that how most good stories end? ;)
A whole bunch of my extended family was over today, partly to pray for Eddy who remains in the hospital, and partly to hang out with my uncle Steve and aunt Julie who are moving to Atlanta later this week. I'll miss 'em, but they will be living near their kids and grandkids, and you gotta be in favor that. Well, I am, anyway. :)
A whole bunch of my extended family was over today, partly to pray for Eddy who remains in the hospital, and partly to hang out with my uncle Steve and aunt Julie who are moving to Atlanta later this week. I'll miss 'em, but they will be living near their kids and grandkids, and you gotta be in favor that. Well, I am, anyway. :)
Friday, March 24, 2006
Reanimation
You know what's really cool? Techno. Well, some techno--the kind that has a point, creates a melody, and does it all with a catchy groove. Thanks to Andrea for introducing me to some great techno artists (Oakenfold, Aphex Twin, Orbital) during the past year or so, but I also gotta thank the Ben Hike for driving around in his Explorer with "Reanimation" playing on the stereo. It's an album of Linkin Park songs that have been techno-fied by various artists, and it's super cool. I just thought I'd share that. :) I highly suggest you give it a listen.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Flying Fires
I first read about the show Firefly a few years ago on my former home page, Slashdot (which has now been replaced by the much cooler digg). I thought the title sounded lame, so I never bothered to check out the series. It was cancelled after about a dozen episodes anyway, so what did I care?
Now, thanks to the magic of Netflix, I found out that I really *do* care. After watching the first nine episodes, I have to say that this show is really growing on me. It's often described as "a western in outer space", but I haven't seen many westerns (only recently did I watch Stagecoach, and I like to think Back to the Future 3 counts too) so I don't know if that's accurate. All I know is, it's pretty cool stuff. It focuses on the exploits of a ragtag bunch of smugglers aboard a Firefly-class ship named Serenity. They make a living by picking up odd jobs for cash while trying to avoid the galactic police force (well, that's kind of what they are, but it's more than that) called the Alliance. I really like the captain, because he does what most people would probably want him to do. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy who, unlike other no-nonsense captains, really does what he says and backs it up with bullets. He reminds me of Han Solo (the Han Solo who shoots first, mind you) and Indiana Jones. Or perhaps he just reminds me of Harrison Ford.
Anyway, if you're looking for a really cool TV show to check out, give it a try. I did, and it's a good thing too. :)
Now, thanks to the magic of Netflix, I found out that I really *do* care. After watching the first nine episodes, I have to say that this show is really growing on me. It's often described as "a western in outer space", but I haven't seen many westerns (only recently did I watch Stagecoach, and I like to think Back to the Future 3 counts too) so I don't know if that's accurate. All I know is, it's pretty cool stuff. It focuses on the exploits of a ragtag bunch of smugglers aboard a Firefly-class ship named Serenity. They make a living by picking up odd jobs for cash while trying to avoid the galactic police force (well, that's kind of what they are, but it's more than that) called the Alliance. I really like the captain, because he does what most people would probably want him to do. He's a no-nonsense kind of guy who, unlike other no-nonsense captains, really does what he says and backs it up with bullets. He reminds me of Han Solo (the Han Solo who shoots first, mind you) and Indiana Jones. Or perhaps he just reminds me of Harrison Ford.
Anyway, if you're looking for a really cool TV show to check out, give it a try. I did, and it's a good thing too. :)
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
SNES Games
So Eve and I have been trying to find a place around here that sells used Super Nintendo games, similar to Gamers back in Lincoln. There's a Gamespot or EB Games everywhere you turn, but so far I have not come across any small-time independent retailers that specialize in non-mainstream and older stuff. I thought I found one last night, though. It's a place called "Game Cauldron" and I drove down there expecting to find a bunch of old games for sale. Turns out the place wasn't what I thought it would be, and their selection of SNES games was really disappointing. The guys at the counter were super cool, though, and I told them the games I was looking for (Tetris Attack and Donkey Kong Country 2) one of 'em said I had good taste in games. But I already knew that. ;) I'll give it another go in a week or so, and see what they have.
Matt's computer royally pooped out on him last night--it was fine two days ago, but yesterday it just flat-out would not turn on. Not good. When it did, he got a dandy little Blue Screen of Death informing him of what was probably an issue with his video card. :( He spent a good two hours on the phone with Dell, whose "award-winning service and support" meant a not-helpful series of people transferring him to different people until we finally found out we had to call Microsoft. I worked in a call center last summer and can sympathize with those people who are inundated with calls all day long. In general they are a nice bunch and they don't want to not help you (does that even make sense?) but they also don't really know *how* to help you because they cannot see what you are seeing. (last summer I took many calls from people whose lawnmowers weren't working. They were frustrated that they could not accurately describe the problem "I dunno, it's making a funny sound and oil is leaking from somewhere..." and I was frustrated that I could not really help them "I'm sorry sir, but it could be one of a hundred different problems...") We eventually did get the problem fixed thanks to a guy named Jim at Microsoft who provided us with a new key code to reinstall Windows. Yay for Jim!
So the moral of the story is: if you live in Lincoln, cherish Gamers. If you have a PC, get a Mac. :)
Matt's computer royally pooped out on him last night--it was fine two days ago, but yesterday it just flat-out would not turn on. Not good. When it did, he got a dandy little Blue Screen of Death informing him of what was probably an issue with his video card. :( He spent a good two hours on the phone with Dell, whose "award-winning service and support" meant a not-helpful series of people transferring him to different people until we finally found out we had to call Microsoft. I worked in a call center last summer and can sympathize with those people who are inundated with calls all day long. In general they are a nice bunch and they don't want to not help you (does that even make sense?) but they also don't really know *how* to help you because they cannot see what you are seeing. (last summer I took many calls from people whose lawnmowers weren't working. They were frustrated that they could not accurately describe the problem "I dunno, it's making a funny sound and oil is leaking from somewhere..." and I was frustrated that I could not really help them "I'm sorry sir, but it could be one of a hundred different problems...") We eventually did get the problem fixed thanks to a guy named Jim at Microsoft who provided us with a new key code to reinstall Windows. Yay for Jim!
So the moral of the story is: if you live in Lincoln, cherish Gamers. If you have a PC, get a Mac. :)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Typing Test
I really, really like this new keyboard I got for my birthday. Just for kicks I went to www.typingtest.com and found out I can do more than 90 words a minute on this baby! I used the Wizard of Oz test and only messed up on two words in one minute. Shyeah!
I want to send a big shout-out to the guys at www.illusionfxnet.com who host the podcast I do with my cousin Ed. He was in a skiing accident two weeks ago and has been in a coma since then, and the guys at illusionfxnet let me log in to Ed's account and edit the RSS feed for our show. Basically, I can continue to update our podcast in Ed's absence and let our listeners know how things are going. I have every confidence that the Lord will heal Ed, and my entire family has been praying for his swift recovery. I know the Lord will heal him completely, so that His name might be praised. Now I just have to have patience and let the Lord work on His time scale, not mine.
I want to send a big shout-out to the guys at www.illusionfxnet.com who host the podcast I do with my cousin Ed. He was in a skiing accident two weeks ago and has been in a coma since then, and the guys at illusionfxnet let me log in to Ed's account and edit the RSS feed for our show. Basically, I can continue to update our podcast in Ed's absence and let our listeners know how things are going. I have every confidence that the Lord will heal Ed, and my entire family has been praying for his swift recovery. I know the Lord will heal him completely, so that His name might be praised. Now I just have to have patience and let the Lord work on His time scale, not mine.
Cameron Who?
This afternoon Beth, Eve, and I went to Target to get a few things, and ended up sitting in one of those outdoorsey-type gazebo things, which they had on display, for at least a half-hour. We chatted about a lot of stuff and then realized that we were, in fact, sitting in a gazebo inside a Target store, so we took off and headed for home. :)
This evening Eve and I watched a movie with Sarah called Elizabethtown. I had heard of the movie and remembered that something was special about it, but could not figure out what it was. The movie was a wash, and I would describe it as a "hopeless mish-mash of pop culture references strung together with the loosest possible storyline involving two characters who, we are supposed to believe, fall in love with each other" if I were a movie critic. Then when the credits finally rolled, I discovered that it was a Cameron Crowe film, and suddenly it all made sense. He's made one good movie (Jerry Maguire) and a half-dozen really terrible movies (Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky being the worst offenders) but someone in Hollywood must like him or there's no way this junk would end up in the DVD players of unsuspecting movie-watchers across the country.
So where's the good in all this? Well, looking back at the movie I could see how it was a Cameron Crowe film. It's just cool how you can begin to recognize someone's work like that. Some people can look at a painting and say "Oh, that's a Monet. Look at the use of color and texture and blar-dee-blar...", and all I see is a boring picture of a tree. But I thought it was really neat how I could tell that Elizabethtown was a Cameron Crowe production. Too bad I didn't realize it an hour and fifty minutes sooner, though. 'Twould have saved the three of us from a mighty lame movie.
This evening Eve and I watched a movie with Sarah called Elizabethtown. I had heard of the movie and remembered that something was special about it, but could not figure out what it was. The movie was a wash, and I would describe it as a "hopeless mish-mash of pop culture references strung together with the loosest possible storyline involving two characters who, we are supposed to believe, fall in love with each other" if I were a movie critic. Then when the credits finally rolled, I discovered that it was a Cameron Crowe film, and suddenly it all made sense. He's made one good movie (Jerry Maguire) and a half-dozen really terrible movies (Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky being the worst offenders) but someone in Hollywood must like him or there's no way this junk would end up in the DVD players of unsuspecting movie-watchers across the country.
So where's the good in all this? Well, looking back at the movie I could see how it was a Cameron Crowe film. It's just cool how you can begin to recognize someone's work like that. Some people can look at a painting and say "Oh, that's a Monet. Look at the use of color and texture and blar-dee-blar...", and all I see is a boring picture of a tree. But I thought it was really neat how I could tell that Elizabethtown was a Cameron Crowe production. Too bad I didn't realize it an hour and fifty minutes sooner, though. 'Twould have saved the three of us from a mighty lame movie.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Keyboard
I got one of the coolest gifts ever for my birthday yesterday: a new keyboard. It, like the Millennium Falcon, might not seem like much but it's got it where it counts. It's a MacAlly IceKey which is basically a laptop keyboard for a desktop computer. So, it's got a really nice and smooth feel to it and is much easier to use than a standard desktop keyboard. Ahhh...my hands have been breathing sighs of relief ever since I got it. :)
It's getting much warmer up here which, again, might not seem like much, but when you get 10 inches of snow in one week it's nice to see the sun poke out and do its best to drive away all that fluffy white powder. It's supposed to be in the mid-30's all week, actually. Shyeah!
It's getting much warmer up here which, again, might not seem like much, but when you get 10 inches of snow in one week it's nice to see the sun poke out and do its best to drive away all that fluffy white powder. It's supposed to be in the mid-30's all week, actually. Shyeah!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Friday!
There needs to be nothing special about it. Just the fact that it's here is cause for celebration. :) The best part is, we get 'em once every single week!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Harsh Cattle
For some reason, I was reminded of an old DN article tonight. I believe it contains one of the most ill-conceived metaphors I, or anyone else, has ever written. :)
Snow Day Part Two?
Ok, so it snowed a whole bunch on Sunday, but it looks like we're not out of the woods yet. We're slated to get dumped on again tonite, which means the morning commute could be a little rough. No matter, though...it's nearly Spring, and all this white stuff just means more water for the lakes, which means better jet skiing. Schweet!
On a different note, few things in this earthly life are as wondrous as a massive Chipotle steak burrito after a long day at work. mmm...steak burrito...I also am watching Star Wars Episode I again (my VHS copy, since I never snagged it on DVD) and I have to say, it's a really cool movie. I saw it about 12 times in the theatre when it came out, and while I'm not sure I would repeat that today (mostly thanks to rising movie prices), I do think it is much better than most people gave it credit for.
Gavin left for home this morning, and man, it sure was cool to have him visit. You just don't get that kind of personal Anime translation anywhere else. ^_^
On a different note, few things in this earthly life are as wondrous as a massive Chipotle steak burrito after a long day at work. mmm...steak burrito...I also am watching Star Wars Episode I again (my VHS copy, since I never snagged it on DVD) and I have to say, it's a really cool movie. I saw it about 12 times in the theatre when it came out, and while I'm not sure I would repeat that today (mostly thanks to rising movie prices), I do think it is much better than most people gave it credit for.
Gavin left for home this morning, and man, it sure was cool to have him visit. You just don't get that kind of personal Anime translation anywhere else. ^_^
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Driveway
Around here we have a rather loose cleaning arrangement: I do nearly all the dishes, and Matt does the heavier outside work. Everyone does his part in keeping the house more or less neat, though. Sometimes it's frustrating, since I end up doing a lot of dishes, but on days like today and yesterday when there's at least a half-foot of snow on the ground, it's nice to know your roommate/cousin/landlord will have the entire driveway cleared, and also clean off the parked cars on the side of the driveway as well. Aw yeah. :)
Monday, March 13, 2006
Anime
Since Gavin is visiting, I thought I'd catalog all the Anime I've seen...
TV Series
Fullmetal Alchemist - Entire Series (52 episodes)
Cowboy Bebop - Entire Series (26 episodes)
Trigun - Entire Series (26 episodes)
Love Hina - Entire Series (24 +a few extras)
Fullmetal Panic - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Scrapped Princess - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Ceres Celestial Legend - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Comic Party - Entire Series (13 episodes)
Saikano - Entire Series (13 episodes)
Outlaw Star - Various Episodes
Hellsing - Episodes 1-6
Bleach - Episodes 1-2
Fruits Basket - Episodes 1-2
Excel Saga - Episodes 1,4
Elfin Lied - First Episode
Boys Be - First Episode
Serial Experiments Lain - First Episode
Ghost Stories - First Episode
Haibane-Renmei - First Episode
His and Her Circumstances - First Episode
Feature Films
Spirited Away
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Trans-Formers: The Movie
Howl's Moving Castle
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro
Akira
So I guess you could say I've spent a fair amount of my waking hours watching Japanese cartoons. I say it is, for the most part, time well spent.
TV Series
Fullmetal Alchemist - Entire Series (52 episodes)
Cowboy Bebop - Entire Series (26 episodes)
Trigun - Entire Series (26 episodes)
Love Hina - Entire Series (24 +a few extras)
Fullmetal Panic - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Scrapped Princess - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Ceres Celestial Legend - Entire Series (24 episodes)
Comic Party - Entire Series (13 episodes)
Saikano - Entire Series (13 episodes)
Outlaw Star - Various Episodes
Hellsing - Episodes 1-6
Bleach - Episodes 1-2
Fruits Basket - Episodes 1-2
Excel Saga - Episodes 1,4
Elfin Lied - First Episode
Boys Be - First Episode
Serial Experiments Lain - First Episode
Ghost Stories - First Episode
Haibane-Renmei - First Episode
His and Her Circumstances - First Episode
Feature Films
Spirited Away
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Trans-Formers: The Movie
Howl's Moving Castle
Kiki's Delivery Service
My Neighbor Totoro
Akira
So I guess you could say I've spent a fair amount of my waking hours watching Japanese cartoons. I say it is, for the most part, time well spent.
Snow Day? Nah...
I woke up to my watch this morning and immediately noticed that my red desk clock was not blinking. Uh oh. Turns out last night's massive snow storm did a number on the power lines. I lit some candles, took a shower, and started moving the contents of our fridge outside when the lights clicked back on. Shyeah! The house was once again alive! Now I have to get Matt out of bed so he can snowblow the driveway...
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Driving Around
Gavin is visiting for a few days, and that's really cool. He and I went for a drive today and during the course of the afternoon I discovered that the Corolla got about 33 miles to the gallon during the last tank. Awesome! I also discovered that the drive north on 169 to Milaca, then on 23 to St. Cloud, then on 94 back to the Cities, is quite relaxing. Oh, and Panda Garden is mighty tasty too, and for once, I only took the amount of ice cream I could actually eat.
"Here we go again" - C3PO
I'm kind of sick of my LiveJournal blog, so I'm making this instead. Blogger seems to be much easier on the eyes, easier to navigate, and more current with web standards like CSS and, uh...AJAX, maybe? Who knows. At any rate, LiveJournal reeks of emo, so I'm outta there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)