Today's Earworm- In A Dark Place, Gary Numan
Dave has clocked in a year sans egregious carbs, losing 60kgs.
Despite occasional spills off the wagon, the 20-ish that I ditched haven't found me again yet.... now I'm picturing the action scenes from Terminator 2, starring me running away from a giant cherry danish.
In my case, being a big weirdo was invaluable in pursuing a diet divergent from the sammich-and-timtam stuff everybody else gets away with eating. I'm a mac-using, Linux-using, female IT monkey. I'm my whole peer group. It makes my life very easy. While the women I work with (correction, in the same building as) are all compelled to buy the same pair of shoes from different vendors, seeking an ideal distillation of bootyness and pointyness, I'm in sneakers. Not hard to apply the same principles to food, especially when you're working the same hours as Angel Investigations.
In other news, Apple released a bluetooth Mighty Mouse. I think I'll go a Logitech v270 though, at $70-ish vs Apple's $109.
I wonder if I can dispose of my old Apple BT Mouse on EBay? There have got to be people out there who are frightened of this brave new world of multiple mouse click options.
27.7.06
17.7.06
Bags
After work on Saturday I stomped up and down Glenferrie Rd looking for a new laptop bag. I had a small Crumpler laptop backpack (Sheep Scarer) that I'd been really happy with. It can't hold a MacBook Pro though, so new bag shopping I went.
My first choice was a bigger Crumpler but as those are...not cheap... I wanted to give other bags a shot. The STM backpacks had a nice velour-lined lappy slot. I saw some other bags in the adventure gear shops.
The best camoflaged bag I saw was a Caribee Campus 30. 60 bucks and *nobody* is knocking that off looking for a laptop.
In the end though, after seeing many many bags, I still picked the arguably overpriced Crumpler bag, a King Single backpack in Loud Red. It'll look better with some road grime (Crumplers tend to).
It has a laptop slot, no dividers other than the fully covered lappy compartment, which actually makes for more capacity in the bag. The pockets on the front can easily hold the nalgene flask I also bought (water's important for low-carbers).
I liked the older style backpack I had more (the Team Player was the next size up, I think?). The color of the lining on the new bag is buff, I'm not sure about that with red. The older bag has robin's egg blue lining, and matches the phone holder I just transplanted to the new bag. These sorts of things aren't dealbreakers though and having slept on it, I felt I'd made the right decision.
These bags are cute though - www.bumbakpaks.com. If these were available, they would have made my short list! The shoulderstrap to backpack strap thing is clever!
My first choice was a bigger Crumpler but as those are...not cheap... I wanted to give other bags a shot. The STM backpacks had a nice velour-lined lappy slot. I saw some other bags in the adventure gear shops.
The best camoflaged bag I saw was a Caribee Campus 30. 60 bucks and *nobody* is knocking that off looking for a laptop.
In the end though, after seeing many many bags, I still picked the arguably overpriced Crumpler bag, a King Single backpack in Loud Red. It'll look better with some road grime (Crumplers tend to).
It has a laptop slot, no dividers other than the fully covered lappy compartment, which actually makes for more capacity in the bag. The pockets on the front can easily hold the nalgene flask I also bought (water's important for low-carbers).
I liked the older style backpack I had more (the Team Player was the next size up, I think?). The color of the lining on the new bag is buff, I'm not sure about that with red. The older bag has robin's egg blue lining, and matches the phone holder I just transplanted to the new bag. These sorts of things aren't dealbreakers though and having slept on it, I felt I'd made the right decision.
These bags are cute though - www.bumbakpaks.com. If these were available, they would have made my short list! The shoulderstrap to backpack strap thing is clever!
4.7.06
Lois *does* know. Ok?
Today's Earworm- Infa-Red, Placebo
After reading a whole lotta debate on the interwebs about Superman Returns, can I state for some people who missed it, Lois Lane *does* know who Jason's father is, she does remember sleeping with Supes, and *she does remember who Clark Kent is*. Mmkay?
It might seem a stretch, but bear with me here. It works in a universe where Supe's super-rohypnol wears off after a period of time, especially when Lois starts putting things together about the time period Superman II takes place in. She's not supposed to be an idiot. She might not remember everything, but she'd haved pieced together enough.
She ignores Clark at the office, much as how you'd ignore an ex. Things are predictably awkward. She can't ignore Superman (as in the plane).
She gets very little screen time with Clark so the audience isn't given much information to work with, but it's there if you look. She unloads on Clark in the taxi scene about him taking off on her. She doesn't want to work with Clark.
Just before she flies with Superman, she mentions that Clark told her that Supes didn't say goodbye because it hurt too much, she feels it's a load of crap. It might look like she doesn't know Clark = Supes, but look closer. I think she knows, but she realises that Supes probably still thinks she's mindwiped. She's giving him a shot at explaining himself. He blows it by pretending he doesn't know Clark (I'll have to see if in the original 2 films its established that he does know who Clark is, as one of his 'pals'. I think that it is). She plays along ("so, same old Clark!").
She's playing along with the whole 'secret identity' mess because she has a vested interest in keeping his identity secret, and also she might be waiting to see if he explains himself. She's testing him, to see if she can trust him.
Also, this is a big can of worms to open with her fiance nearby. She has no time during the course of the movie to bail him up and get the truth out of him.
There's a couple more hints that I can think off the top of my head. There's the glasses thing where she drops her bag, and brusqely hands Clark back his glasses without even looking at him. She knew what she was going to see. Also when her fiance connects the dots between Clark and Superman's return, who is it that deflects this line of inquiry? Lois.
There's a final subtle hint from Lex. "Superman can tell when people lie. Especially women." Lex is always wrong about Superman. Supes sure as hell didn't know she was lying about Jason's parentage, or that she didn't remember. It's a throwaway line, but considering the cuts to this movie, that line was there for a reason.
I know that all of that seems a stretch, but its a small one. I don't have any problem with the timing of the pregnancy. She's a busy woman, she might not have realised she'd missed her period for a couple of months. Things had ended abruptly with Superman, and then she took up with her fiance, possibly partially as a rebound. He might even have been lurking around the Daily Planet before Clark was, Lois only 'noticed' him when she was emotionally needy. Doesn't matter if she remembered or not at this point, she probably felt lonely regardless.
At the end of the movie, how could Lois not be incredibly, *blazing fire of a million suns* angry with Supes for knocking her up, if she had no pre-knowledge of their tryst? And if she remembers that, she'd have pieced together the stuff about Clark too.
I like the idea of Supes trying to relieve her of the pain of the breakup in SII, but in reality not handling it too well himself, and then leaving to try to find the truth of himself in the ashes of Krypton. Sure beats that stuff he was doing in the sequels where he kisses Lois to restore her memory when *he* needs some love, then promptly roofies her again to erase her memory. *That's* some high Superdickery.
After reading a whole lotta debate on the interwebs about Superman Returns, can I state for some people who missed it, Lois Lane *does* know who Jason's father is, she does remember sleeping with Supes, and *she does remember who Clark Kent is*. Mmkay?
It might seem a stretch, but bear with me here. It works in a universe where Supe's super-rohypnol wears off after a period of time, especially when Lois starts putting things together about the time period Superman II takes place in. She's not supposed to be an idiot. She might not remember everything, but she'd haved pieced together enough.
She ignores Clark at the office, much as how you'd ignore an ex. Things are predictably awkward. She can't ignore Superman (as in the plane).
She gets very little screen time with Clark so the audience isn't given much information to work with, but it's there if you look. She unloads on Clark in the taxi scene about him taking off on her. She doesn't want to work with Clark.
Just before she flies with Superman, she mentions that Clark told her that Supes didn't say goodbye because it hurt too much, she feels it's a load of crap. It might look like she doesn't know Clark = Supes, but look closer. I think she knows, but she realises that Supes probably still thinks she's mindwiped. She's giving him a shot at explaining himself. He blows it by pretending he doesn't know Clark (I'll have to see if in the original 2 films its established that he does know who Clark is, as one of his 'pals'. I think that it is). She plays along ("so, same old Clark!").
She's playing along with the whole 'secret identity' mess because she has a vested interest in keeping his identity secret, and also she might be waiting to see if he explains himself. She's testing him, to see if she can trust him.
Also, this is a big can of worms to open with her fiance nearby. She has no time during the course of the movie to bail him up and get the truth out of him.
There's a couple more hints that I can think off the top of my head. There's the glasses thing where she drops her bag, and brusqely hands Clark back his glasses without even looking at him. She knew what she was going to see. Also when her fiance connects the dots between Clark and Superman's return, who is it that deflects this line of inquiry? Lois.
There's a final subtle hint from Lex. "Superman can tell when people lie. Especially women." Lex is always wrong about Superman. Supes sure as hell didn't know she was lying about Jason's parentage, or that she didn't remember. It's a throwaway line, but considering the cuts to this movie, that line was there for a reason.
I know that all of that seems a stretch, but its a small one. I don't have any problem with the timing of the pregnancy. She's a busy woman, she might not have realised she'd missed her period for a couple of months. Things had ended abruptly with Superman, and then she took up with her fiance, possibly partially as a rebound. He might even have been lurking around the Daily Planet before Clark was, Lois only 'noticed' him when she was emotionally needy. Doesn't matter if she remembered or not at this point, she probably felt lonely regardless.
At the end of the movie, how could Lois not be incredibly, *blazing fire of a million suns* angry with Supes for knocking her up, if she had no pre-knowledge of their tryst? And if she remembers that, she'd have pieced together the stuff about Clark too.
I like the idea of Supes trying to relieve her of the pain of the breakup in SII, but in reality not handling it too well himself, and then leaving to try to find the truth of himself in the ashes of Krypton. Sure beats that stuff he was doing in the sequels where he kisses Lois to restore her memory when *he* needs some love, then promptly roofies her again to erase her memory. *That's* some high Superdickery.
29.6.06
Turning off SMP on a single app or game
Legacy games running BootCamp on a MacBook Pro (or any dual core processor) can sometimes crash, because they don't support multiprocessing. Two that I know of -
- System Shock 2
- Deus Ex 2
Neither of those games are getting multiprocessor updates anytime soon.
Deus Ex 2, for example, will sputter and sound-loop on the title screen. I've seen some crappy workarounds, but here's one that works.
1) Get a copy of imagecfg.exe . This tool lives in one of the Windows resource kits. There are places you can get it on its own, Google away.
2) Make a backup of your main game executable. I.e. I made a copy of DX2Main.exe that was called DX2Main.exe.backup
3) run imagecfg -u c:\Your game path\your game.exe
This sets the executable to have an 'affinity' with CPU 0, that is, it will run on one core.
And that's it, your game will run without you having to alt-tab, view processes, and set the CPU affinity every time the game runs (it was getting very old on DX2), or any other mullarkey.
Hope this helps any fellow retrogamers out there.
Now as for getting Shock 2 running on XP at all.. lets say there's a FAQ. A long one over at http://www.ttlg.com/forums/.
- System Shock 2
- Deus Ex 2
Neither of those games are getting multiprocessor updates anytime soon.
Deus Ex 2, for example, will sputter and sound-loop on the title screen. I've seen some crappy workarounds, but here's one that works.
1) Get a copy of imagecfg.exe . This tool lives in one of the Windows resource kits. There are places you can get it on its own, Google away.
2) Make a backup of your main game executable. I.e. I made a copy of DX2Main.exe that was called DX2Main.exe.backup
3) run imagecfg -u c:\Your game path\your game.exe
This sets the executable to have an 'affinity' with CPU 0, that is, it will run on one core.
And that's it, your game will run without you having to alt-tab, view processes, and set the CPU affinity every time the game runs (it was getting very old on DX2), or any other mullarkey.
Hope this helps any fellow retrogamers out there.
Now as for getting Shock 2 running on XP at all.. lets say there's a FAQ. A long one over at http://www.ttlg.com/forums/.
21.6.06
MacBook Pro Observations
Ok. Here's a bunch of MacBook Pro observations, in no particular order.
-- The MBP has a DVD drive that is very picky about Region codes. My iBook would play any DVD with VLC, my MBP will not. The DVD will just fail to play in VLC without a warning. Region 4 DVDs will play without a hitch (I'm in Australia).
Region 1 DVDs (I tested it with 'Primer') will play fine in an external drive.
-- Speedit v0.5 (http://www.increw.com/products/speedit/screen_shots.html) makes my Mac seize up periodically. The previous version works fine though for getting CPU temps.
-- Shutting off the keyboard backlight conserves battery.
-- On batteries, the calibration process is very different to previous Macs, read your manual.
-- If you install BootCamp, check your System Preferences for what your 'Startup Drive' is set to. If it hasn't got a default setting, your machine boots *Windows* by default. Yes, really.
-- If the above applies, or your machine is set to boot Windows, Safe Sleep *will not work for you*. You'll just find yourself back in Windows when you boot up after replacing your battery.
-- I discovered the above when I tested Safe Sleep after installing Boot Camp. Don't kid yourselves, Boot Camp is still Beta.
-- When idling, my machine will do about 30C to 40C above ambient. It will ratchet to 90C under full load, then fall back to the low to mid 80s as the fans kick in. This is warm, but it looks like the thermal system actually does work. I think it needs to be more aggressive though. a PrefPane setting ('Louder + cooler' vs 'quieter and hotter') would be nice.
-- I'm tempted to try to address the above issue with a 6 pack of beer, a tube of Arctic Silver 5, and an Apple Certified Tech.
-- I'll probably just wait for a firmware update though.
-- And I hope its out before Summer.
-- The MBP doesn't get too hot for lap use, but then again it is sitting on a foofbag normally. WoW is quite good even on powersaving settings.
-- The MBP has a DVD drive that is very picky about Region codes. My iBook would play any DVD with VLC, my MBP will not. The DVD will just fail to play in VLC without a warning. Region 4 DVDs will play without a hitch (I'm in Australia).
Region 1 DVDs (I tested it with 'Primer') will play fine in an external drive.
-- Speedit v0.5 (http://www.increw.com/products/speedit/screen_shots.html) makes my Mac seize up periodically. The previous version works fine though for getting CPU temps.
-- Shutting off the keyboard backlight conserves battery.
-- On batteries, the calibration process is very different to previous Macs, read your manual.
-- If you install BootCamp, check your System Preferences for what your 'Startup Drive' is set to. If it hasn't got a default setting, your machine boots *Windows* by default. Yes, really.
-- If the above applies, or your machine is set to boot Windows, Safe Sleep *will not work for you*. You'll just find yourself back in Windows when you boot up after replacing your battery.
-- I discovered the above when I tested Safe Sleep after installing Boot Camp. Don't kid yourselves, Boot Camp is still Beta.
-- When idling, my machine will do about 30C to 40C above ambient. It will ratchet to 90C under full load, then fall back to the low to mid 80s as the fans kick in. This is warm, but it looks like the thermal system actually does work. I think it needs to be more aggressive though. a PrefPane setting ('Louder + cooler' vs 'quieter and hotter') would be nice.
-- I'm tempted to try to address the above issue with a 6 pack of beer, a tube of Arctic Silver 5, and an Apple Certified Tech.
-- I'll probably just wait for a firmware update though.
-- And I hope its out before Summer.
-- The MBP doesn't get too hot for lap use, but then again it is sitting on a foofbag normally. WoW is quite good even on powersaving settings.
14.6.06
Fruit Fly
7pm - Checked Startrack. No change
9pm - 7pm - Checked Startrack. No change
10pm - Refreshed Stratrack page. No change
11pm - My foofpod will be here tomorrow, but no change on Startrack.
Yeah I know. My MBP will *get* here when it *gets* here. Like tomorrow.
12am - Going home to clean house for inspection this week. Startrack still says 'Scanned in transit'
9pm - 7pm - Checked Startrack. No change
10pm - Refreshed Stratrack page. No change
11pm - My foofpod will be here tomorrow, but no change on Startrack.
Yeah I know. My MBP will *get* here when it *gets* here. Like tomorrow.
12am - Going home to clean house for inspection this week. Startrack still says 'Scanned in transit'
Downhill slide
I got the funds together for a long-awaited, discounted, Shinybook Pro.
The bank, however, had other ideas, and for my own protection decided not to clear the funds today.
The Shinybooks have of course, sold out.
I think this is going to be one of those weeks where I just get kicked in the head, repeatedly.
If I had the option I don't think I'd leave the house.
Update : the machines I was referring to are new old-stock MacBook Pros, at a fairly ridiculous price. Those sold out very quickly, of course. There were still refurbs of the same spec on the website today when my funds cleared, so I went for one of those.
I'm optimistic this will be fine.
It cost the same as my iBook G4 when new.
The bank, however, had other ideas, and for my own protection decided not to clear the funds today.
The Shinybooks have of course, sold out.
I think this is going to be one of those weeks where I just get kicked in the head, repeatedly.
If I had the option I don't think I'd leave the house.
Update : the machines I was referring to are new old-stock MacBook Pros, at a fairly ridiculous price. Those sold out very quickly, of course. There were still refurbs of the same spec on the website today when my funds cleared, so I went for one of those.
I'm optimistic this will be fine.
It cost the same as my iBook G4 when new.
26.5.06
XMen 3
Verdict... *sigh*.
I know you have to make changes to make a genre work hang together on the big screen, but excising its soul is a Bad Thing.
I was happy enough with the explanation for Phoenix, but you've got this powerful being who is composed of rage and passion sitting about, and standing there looking morose, and occasionally, absently killing things with her mind. She should have been the emotional core of the film, but she wasn't, because she was played like a zombie (everyone else bored with depictions of 'possesion' in genre films? Yup) and because they lost a great opportunity when they *spoilered* *spoiler*.
And they also have her kill *spoiler*. Who really is the soul of the films, I guess, but if there'd been more emotional payoff or something I could have dealt with that, because various writers have *spoilered* *spoiler* over the years and it hasn't stuck yet.
Sigh.
At least Hugh Jackman was relatively impervious. His Wolverine is still pretty good. I liked the new additions like Beast, Angel and Shadowcat. (I think I saw Psylocke but she sort of blended into the BrotherHood Of Angry Goff Mutants).
Its not a complete waste of time, but it's not up to the previous two.
I know you have to make changes to make a genre work hang together on the big screen, but excising its soul is a Bad Thing.
I was happy enough with the explanation for Phoenix, but you've got this powerful being who is composed of rage and passion sitting about, and standing there looking morose, and occasionally, absently killing things with her mind. She should have been the emotional core of the film, but she wasn't, because she was played like a zombie (everyone else bored with depictions of 'possesion' in genre films? Yup) and because they lost a great opportunity when they *spoilered* *spoiler*.
And they also have her kill *spoiler*. Who really is the soul of the films, I guess, but if there'd been more emotional payoff or something I could have dealt with that, because various writers have *spoilered* *spoiler* over the years and it hasn't stuck yet.
Sigh.
At least Hugh Jackman was relatively impervious. His Wolverine is still pretty good. I liked the new additions like Beast, Angel and Shadowcat. (I think I saw Psylocke but she sort of blended into the BrotherHood Of Angry Goff Mutants).
Its not a complete waste of time, but it's not up to the previous two.
ValleySchwag On The Way
Waiting on your ValleySchwag? Not to worry! The guys and girls at Ruby Red labs are on it.
The vid is in response to "Alterion"'s post here.
Hehehe very funny response. I love teh Internets!
(Yes, I subscribed. I got tired of hearing about Conference X and the Conference X shwag via podcasts and blogs, and feeling left out because my great-great-great(etc) grandparents emigrated to the wrong colony).
The vid is in response to "Alterion"'s post here.
Hehehe very funny response. I love teh Internets!
(Yes, I subscribed. I got tired of hearing about Conference X and the Conference X shwag via podcasts and blogs, and feeling left out because my great-great-great(etc) grandparents emigrated to the wrong colony).
24.5.06
It has a great personality
After (well after) the initial buzz, here's my thoughts on the MBP's baby brother, the MacBook.
I'm in the market for a replacement for my rock-solid but ageing iBook G4 800. It's held out this long because the RAM is maxed out. Its not a good games machine though, no Quartz special effects, and the hard drive is small and hard to extricate. So after the Intel switch, its time for an upgrade.
After seeing the MacBook in real life (http://www.mymac.com.au), it definitely more resembles the 14" iBook than the 12". I was tempted to take a picture of it next to my iBook but fortunately Ars Technica did it for me.
The MacBook is no lightweight.
(From http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbook.ars )
It's bigger than I expected. One of my criteria for choosing a new laptop, between the MacBook and MacBook Pro, was whether I would need a new bag for it or not, as I really like the Crumpler Sheep Scarer backpack I currently use. But even with the extra inch or so clearance in that backpack, the MacBook likely wouldn't fit.
So if I end up buying a new bag either way, I may as well get the MacBook Pro. At 15.4", the MBP is in real life, not that much bigger, and not much heavier.
Another concern is gaming performance. I'm no ubergamer but I like WarCrack and Sims 2. Now according to my research (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-mac-tech-support&T=24746&P=1 among others) the MacBook gets about 15 fps. My iBook gets 15 fps. This is not a win for me. So that's a point for the MacBook Pro, underclocked GPU and all (and I suspect that issue will be addressed next rev).
In every other respect though the MacBook blows the doors off my current laptop. It gives the MacBook Pro a run for its money too. I so wish it had a real GPU. But it doesn't, so to MacBook Pro I'll go.
I'm going to buy whatever MacBook Pro is available after the WWDC keynote in early August. My budget says I can afford one in July, but I'd hate to buy one and then for there to be a Merom-based MBP a couple of weeks later, so I'm holding out. And I'm not feeling so bad about hanging onto my iBook until then, because Apple don't make compact notebooks like that anymore.
The other thing I did recently was dip my (healed) toe in Media Center computers. I started with http://geexbox.org/en/index.html , which is nice but with a few rough edges. I'd like an installable version of this so I can at least save some settings, like DVD playback mode (menus please).
I then installed KnoppMyth but I don't need most of the features, and I haven't been able to get the DVD drive working with it yet. I just want a DVD and media-file playing setup. This was prompted by our Xbox crapping out on DVD playback (I think it's trying to say it's time for a 360, but we're not interested).
I'm in the market for a replacement for my rock-solid but ageing iBook G4 800. It's held out this long because the RAM is maxed out. Its not a good games machine though, no Quartz special effects, and the hard drive is small and hard to extricate. So after the Intel switch, its time for an upgrade.
After seeing the MacBook in real life (http://www.mymac.com.au), it definitely more resembles the 14" iBook than the 12". I was tempted to take a picture of it next to my iBook but fortunately Ars Technica did it for me.
The MacBook is no lightweight.
(From http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbook.ars )
It's bigger than I expected. One of my criteria for choosing a new laptop, between the MacBook and MacBook Pro, was whether I would need a new bag for it or not, as I really like the Crumpler Sheep Scarer backpack I currently use. But even with the extra inch or so clearance in that backpack, the MacBook likely wouldn't fit.
So if I end up buying a new bag either way, I may as well get the MacBook Pro. At 15.4", the MBP is in real life, not that much bigger, and not much heavier.
Another concern is gaming performance. I'm no ubergamer but I like WarCrack and Sims 2. Now according to my research (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-mac-tech-support&T=24746&P=1 among others) the MacBook gets about 15 fps. My iBook gets 15 fps. This is not a win for me. So that's a point for the MacBook Pro, underclocked GPU and all (and I suspect that issue will be addressed next rev).
In every other respect though the MacBook blows the doors off my current laptop. It gives the MacBook Pro a run for its money too. I so wish it had a real GPU. But it doesn't, so to MacBook Pro I'll go.
I'm going to buy whatever MacBook Pro is available after the WWDC keynote in early August. My budget says I can afford one in July, but I'd hate to buy one and then for there to be a Merom-based MBP a couple of weeks later, so I'm holding out. And I'm not feeling so bad about hanging onto my iBook until then, because Apple don't make compact notebooks like that anymore.
The other thing I did recently was dip my (healed) toe in Media Center computers. I started with http://geexbox.org/en/index.html , which is nice but with a few rough edges. I'd like an installable version of this so I can at least save some settings, like DVD playback mode (menus please).
I then installed KnoppMyth but I don't need most of the features, and I haven't been able to get the DVD drive working with it yet. I just want a DVD and media-file playing setup. This was prompted by our Xbox crapping out on DVD playback (I think it's trying to say it's time for a 360, but we're not interested).
6.5.06
Brack Toe!
Yes, this is the most interesting thing that happened to me this week. I don't think its actually broken, but its a bit disconcerting that all the bruising is around the joint and not the point of impact (end of toe vs metal escalator step, with rapid deceleration).
Can't bend it. Well, good excuse for wearing sneakers during business hours next week...
Can't bend it. Well, good excuse for wearing sneakers during business hours next week...
6.4.06
Fruity Boots
http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
Dear Apple, this is why you are Shiny. Great 'birthday' present. Windows without the EFI twiddling. Probably wouldn't be much of a hack to boot Linux in the same way.
P.S. Please release a 12" or 13" MBP or MacBook without a castrated graphics card. Please.
Dear Apple, this is why you are Shiny. Great 'birthday' present. Windows without the EFI twiddling. Probably wouldn't be much of a hack to boot Linux in the same way.
P.S. Please release a 12" or 13" MBP or MacBook without a castrated graphics card. Please.
4.4.06
You know you're adjusting to shiftwork when...
-You set your Casio watch to run in dual-time mode so you know roughly what time in your work 'day' it is, and what you should be doing then... It's about Virtual Lunchtime for me now. I'm not hungry though so I don't know what I should be doing.
-You create a character on the US-based WoW servers so you have someone to play with.
-You start looking for live webcams in 'your' timezone, to remind yourself that it is, in fact, actually afternoon somewhere, just not exactly here.
-You lose touch with your day-shift workmates... the ones in the *same* building.
-You don't know what meal you should eat when... breakfast at the end of the 'day' feels wrong. And what do you eat in the middle? Does that meal have a name?
-You feel you've comfortably determined which girls in the phone sex ads are in fact transvestites or similar.
-You start refering to your SO as a 'Daywalker'
-You actually secretly or not so secretly appreciate the quiet and the time to yourself.
-You suddenly have a lot of time to write or study .... except you find yourself blogging instead because your brain won't make it out of first gear.
Yeah I've started shiftwork as part of my Shiny New Job. Its not completely horrible for a Night Owl like myself (and lets just say absence has made things... sparkier... between D and myself).
-You create a character on the US-based WoW servers so you have someone to play with.
-You start looking for live webcams in 'your' timezone, to remind yourself that it is, in fact, actually afternoon somewhere, just not exactly here.
-You lose touch with your day-shift workmates... the ones in the *same* building.
-You don't know what meal you should eat when... breakfast at the end of the 'day' feels wrong. And what do you eat in the middle? Does that meal have a name?
-You feel you've comfortably determined which girls in the phone sex ads are in fact transvestites or similar.
-You start refering to your SO as a 'Daywalker'
-You actually secretly or not so secretly appreciate the quiet and the time to yourself.
-You suddenly have a lot of time to write or study .... except you find yourself blogging instead because your brain won't make it out of first gear.
Yeah I've started shiftwork as part of my Shiny New Job. Its not completely horrible for a Night Owl like myself (and lets just say absence has made things... sparkier... between D and myself).
1.4.06
22.3.06
20.3.06
Not wild about Larry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Cyclone_Larry
Sparing a thought today for the friends and family around Cairns who
will be
losing roofs and the like. I've heard of two lost roller doors and a
skylight so far and this is in town, not even getting the brunt of the
storm.
A lot of people have lost power, there's been evacuations, and it's not
over
yet...
13.3.06
Goodbyeeeeee
Have you seen those irritating flash ads with the talking smileys? Well, more likely you've heard them bellow out 'Hellooooo' ,after being loaded as the banner ad on a normally pleasantly *silent* web page.
Having reassured myself that my computer was not, in fact, emulating the one from Electric Dreams (I'm old, so there), I loaded Adblock into Firefox... specifically for this ad. RIP, f**king smilies. +1 nomination for Most Annoying Flash Ad ever.
Yes, I've seen the crazy frog ones.
Having reassured myself that my computer was not, in fact, emulating the one from Electric Dreams (I'm old, so there), I loaded Adblock into Firefox... specifically for this ad. RIP, f**king smilies. +1 nomination for Most Annoying Flash Ad ever.
Yes, I've seen the crazy frog ones.
5.3.06
Changing gears on the weekend
I've caught up with some much needed sleep, come up with strategies for dealing with the new challenges of my job, and importantly, I've pencilled (iCal'ed?) some time in today to work on the webcomic.
Most things are either archived in VoodooPad or my sketchbooks, I'm going through those at present and getting a grip on where things are. You tend to know your characters pretty well but I need to pick up all the threads of plot I've written down but not woven in yet.
If I get some time after that (I'm on dinner duty tonight) I've got a Cisco PIX manual to read over. Which is easier when you've had enough sleep and your eyes focus. I think I need new glasses though, my eye fatigue plus these current glasses are giving me this weird sort of tunnel vision where I don't see and note things in the immediate periphery of the small area I'm focused on, in emails and stuff.
Maybe I need bigger frames as well. I definitely need some distance vision assistance for reading projectors and stuff.
Most things are either archived in VoodooPad or my sketchbooks, I'm going through those at present and getting a grip on where things are. You tend to know your characters pretty well but I need to pick up all the threads of plot I've written down but not woven in yet.
If I get some time after that (I'm on dinner duty tonight) I've got a Cisco PIX manual to read over. Which is easier when you've had enough sleep and your eyes focus. I think I need new glasses though, my eye fatigue plus these current glasses are giving me this weird sort of tunnel vision where I don't see and note things in the immediate periphery of the small area I'm focused on, in emails and stuff.
Maybe I need bigger frames as well. I definitely need some distance vision assistance for reading projectors and stuff.
1.3.06
New Mac Mini, integrated graphics
Hmmm, I dunno. Intel Integrated GMA950 ? I just hope thats not what ends up in the MacBook, though the Mini and the iBook ran very similar hardware previously.
And the Hifi box, I've seen better. And cheaper. This event rates a big 'meh' from me.
And the Hifi box, I've seen better. And cheaper. This event rates a big 'meh' from me.
21.2.06
MacBook P0rn
Oh hell YES.
I really, really want one of these babies. But unless I can somehow make it pay for itself, I can't afford one. *deep sigh*
I've adjusted my expectations, and my next laptop will be a iMacBook 13", or whatever the next iBook equivalent will be (I wouldn't mess with 'iBook' as a name, but it'll probably get Steved). Even the 13" MacBook Pro, should the make such a creature. In fact please do, it will probably fit in my existing (and much-loved) laptop backpack.
I really, really want one of these babies. But unless I can somehow make it pay for itself, I can't afford one. *deep sigh*
I've adjusted my expectations, and my next laptop will be a iMacBook 13", or whatever the next iBook equivalent will be (I wouldn't mess with 'iBook' as a name, but it'll probably get Steved). Even the 13" MacBook Pro, should the make such a creature. In fact please do, it will probably fit in my existing (and much-loved) laptop backpack.
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