I posted the video I made for my barber. I am referring to the YouTube site I made for him rather than my own, just in case someone in San Mateo wants a really really good haircut at a place with character.
Friday, January 11, 2008
another test for a photo
Here is a photo of me on a rock. I managed to get this to work by using my flickr account; I am guessing that I must fork over cash to MarsEdit if I am to post photos directly from my Mac. Seems to work OK; in a pinch, all I will need to do from MacWorld Expo is to post my pix to Flickr and then import them into MarsEdit.
Next, maybe I ought to try posting a YouTube link. Been meaning to do that anyhow.
Next, maybe I ought to try posting a YouTube link. Been meaning to do that anyhow.
This is a little test of MarsEdit software, preparing for my blogging from MacWorld.
Test, test, test. OK, I hope this works.
I am having trouble adding a photo to this blog post. I will try just the text first.
I am having trouble adding a photo to this blog post. I will try just the text first.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Dave Strom's Nov 2007 voter guide
(Edited on Nov 4; changed one vote for the San Mateo School Board)
Skimpy ballot this year. Just local people running for stuff. Local people are also the most challenging to investigate. I do love a challenge. I googled one of the candidates and opened a site. I read, and read, and read, but could not get a lot of info on the candidates. Then I read whose site it was: "San Mateo County Republican Party." Why am I not surprised? I did find newspaper sources (I have links to them) and to smartvoter.org. But you know what? I need to go to the San Mateo debates (city council and the like). If I go to this much trouble to investigate these guys, I should see them in real life once in a while.
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates for School Board Member; San Mateo Union High School. My picks: Donald S. Havis (I love this guy, in a non-gay way) and Dave Pine.
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates (pick 2) for School Board Member; San Mateo-Foster City School. My picks: Colleen Sullivan and Mark D. Hudak (incumbent).
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates (pick 2) for City Council Member; City of San Mateo. My picks: Jack Matthews (incumbent) and John Lee (incumbent).
To make up my mind, I read my voter guide. Then I read smartvoter.org (the San Mateo page) to find more information on local candidates and issues. I found one article about the city council that helped. Go to the San Mateo County Times, search for John Lee, and then find the article about "Incumbents grilled on growth."
And then, I read the San Mateo County Times Nov 4 picks for the San Mateo School Board and the Oct 26 picks for the City Council.
Skimpy ballot this year. Just local people running for stuff. Local people are also the most challenging to investigate. I do love a challenge. I googled one of the candidates and opened a site. I read, and read, and read, but could not get a lot of info on the candidates. Then I read whose site it was: "San Mateo County Republican Party." Why am I not surprised? I did find newspaper sources (I have links to them) and to smartvoter.org. But you know what? I need to go to the San Mateo debates (city council and the like). If I go to this much trouble to investigate these guys, I should see them in real life once in a while.
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates for School Board Member; San Mateo Union High School. My picks: Donald S. Havis (I love this guy, in a non-gay way) and Dave Pine.
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates (pick 2) for School Board Member; San Mateo-Foster City School. My picks: Colleen Sullivan and Mark D. Hudak (incumbent).
Here is the link to my analysis of the candidates (pick 2) for City Council Member; City of San Mateo. My picks: Jack Matthews (incumbent) and John Lee (incumbent).
To make up my mind, I read my voter guide. Then I read smartvoter.org (the San Mateo page) to find more information on local candidates and issues. I found one article about the city council that helped. Go to the San Mateo County Times, search for John Lee, and then find the article about "Incumbents grilled on growth."
And then, I read the San Mateo County Times Nov 4 picks for the San Mateo School Board and the Oct 26 picks for the City Council.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
iPhone SDK: YEAH! Now, how about a Mac Shuttle?
The iPhone finally opens to 3rd party native applications in Feb 2008. It's about time. The iPhone could not have survived the same idiocy that nearly killed the Mac.
Years ago, when the Mac first came out, it was running on floppy disks. Where I was working, the most prized Mac had 3 floppy drives: one for the OS, one for your application, and one for your data. Then IBM desktop computers started having this thing in them called a "hard drive". And some third party started selling them that you could hack them into your Mac. What was Apple's (maybe Jobs's) response? Something like, "They can't do that, we designed the Mac to not be able to do that!" Idiocy!
Apple was (and sometimes still is) way too fond of closed systems. Making the iPhone a closed system would have killed its growth and made it a tiny niche player. Just like the Macintosh was for a long long long time, and only recently is the Mac getting back its much deserved market share.
And as long as I am at it, there is a tendency for Steve/Apple to close Mac hardware. Except for the Mac Pro, it is nearly impossible to upgrade the hard drive or DVD burner in a Mac. (OK, the MacBook has an easily-replaced hard drive, and why can't the MacBook Pros work that way? Laptop hard drives can DIE!!!!)
When Steve introduced the new iMacs, he talked about how they are all in one unit: monitor, motherboard/CPU/GPU, hard drive, DVD burner. OK, that is fine, iMacs are great computers, but what about people who want to be able to upgrade without replacing EVERY LITTLE BIT OF HARDWARE IN THE WHOLE DARNED COMPUTER?!?!?! As for the other Mac desktops, the Mac Mini is too closed (upgrade its RAM? HAH!), and the Mac Pro is too expensive ($2500? GASP! says the average wallet).
I would like to see a Mac Shuttle. A blend of the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro. Go to http://us.shuttle.com/ to get the idea. Shuttles are compact computer cases where the motherboard (USB and Firewire ports in front and back of the case), and power supply are built-in. You, a Windows desktop builder, add the rest (CPU, hard drive, monitor, etc.).
In my hopes and dreams, a Mac Shuttle would come fully built, like the Mac Pro. (As with the Shuttle case and the Mac Pro, you buy the monitor and speakers separately.) But you, the user, could easily replace the hard drive (they do wear out, and you always want a bigger one). You can replace that old DVD burner with Blu-Ray. You could even add a card or two, if you want to add video inputs or Firewire 1600 (someday). Maybe you can even upgrade the CPU and GPU. Cost: somewhere on the level of the iMac.
I would go for a Mac Shuttle so fast, it would make Jobs's head swim. An economical, very user-upgradeable Macintosh. But this is not even in the rumor mills. Sigh.
But I can dream, can't I? Or at least whine some.
Years ago, when the Mac first came out, it was running on floppy disks. Where I was working, the most prized Mac had 3 floppy drives: one for the OS, one for your application, and one for your data. Then IBM desktop computers started having this thing in them called a "hard drive". And some third party started selling them that you could hack them into your Mac. What was Apple's (maybe Jobs's) response? Something like, "They can't do that, we designed the Mac to not be able to do that!" Idiocy!
Apple was (and sometimes still is) way too fond of closed systems. Making the iPhone a closed system would have killed its growth and made it a tiny niche player. Just like the Macintosh was for a long long long time, and only recently is the Mac getting back its much deserved market share.
And as long as I am at it, there is a tendency for Steve/Apple to close Mac hardware. Except for the Mac Pro, it is nearly impossible to upgrade the hard drive or DVD burner in a Mac. (OK, the MacBook has an easily-replaced hard drive, and why can't the MacBook Pros work that way? Laptop hard drives can DIE!!!!)
When Steve introduced the new iMacs, he talked about how they are all in one unit: monitor, motherboard/CPU/GPU, hard drive, DVD burner. OK, that is fine, iMacs are great computers, but what about people who want to be able to upgrade without replacing EVERY LITTLE BIT OF HARDWARE IN THE WHOLE DARNED COMPUTER?!?!?! As for the other Mac desktops, the Mac Mini is too closed (upgrade its RAM? HAH!), and the Mac Pro is too expensive ($2500? GASP! says the average wallet).
I would like to see a Mac Shuttle. A blend of the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro. Go to http://us.shuttle.com/ to get the idea. Shuttles are compact computer cases where the motherboard (USB and Firewire ports in front and back of the case), and power supply are built-in. You, a Windows desktop builder, add the rest (CPU, hard drive, monitor, etc.).
In my hopes and dreams, a Mac Shuttle would come fully built, like the Mac Pro. (As with the Shuttle case and the Mac Pro, you buy the monitor and speakers separately.) But you, the user, could easily replace the hard drive (they do wear out, and you always want a bigger one). You can replace that old DVD burner with Blu-Ray. You could even add a card or two, if you want to add video inputs or Firewire 1600 (someday). Maybe you can even upgrade the CPU and GPU. Cost: somewhere on the level of the iMac.
I would go for a Mac Shuttle so fast, it would make Jobs's head swim. An economical, very user-upgradeable Macintosh. But this is not even in the rumor mills. Sigh.
But I can dream, can't I? Or at least whine some.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Star Trek, Remastered. YEAH!!!!
You do know that the original Star Trek Episodes are being remastered, right?
Remastered as in redoing the old special effects? As in making the Enterprise orbiting a planet look like a real starship orbiting a real planet (not in a rather good-looking-but-still-plastic model orbiting a fuzzy orange ball in a really tight orbit cuz it was hard to get the proportions right in the 60s)? As in making the Doomsday Machine look really KILLER?!?!?!
I saw The Galileo 7 when I watched it late one night (TV volume very low, of course). I was thinking, "Hey, how come the planet from orbit looks so real? How come the shuttlecraft looks like it is really moving, instead of hanging from fishing lines? And there is no wax-paper-like ellipse around the shuttlecraft? HOW COME THIS LOOKS SO GOOD?"
I have always been a Trekkie. Even liked Voyager. (Loved the Doctor, LOVED when Seven-of-Nine walked down corridors, front AND back.) But the special effects on the original often looked cheesy. Like the Galileo 7 inching along in orbit, or the Constellation starship wobbling its plastic way down the Doomsday Machine's gullet.
The new effects replace the 60s starship models with 2007 computer models, and they look great. Check it out. (TVLand does not seem to show the remastered episodes; check out a more local station.) However, stuff like the Gorn from Arena (still a great episode, even with the cheap silver-sparkle Gorn eyes) still looks the same.
Look up the episode list. And check out The Doomsday Machine! (remastered)
Anyhow, about time I posted again. One more thing: these episodes are available on iTunes. I am likely to buy a few.
Star Trek still RULEZ!!!
Remastered as in redoing the old special effects? As in making the Enterprise orbiting a planet look like a real starship orbiting a real planet (not in a rather good-looking-but-still-plastic model orbiting a fuzzy orange ball in a really tight orbit cuz it was hard to get the proportions right in the 60s)? As in making the Doomsday Machine look really KILLER?!?!?!
I saw The Galileo 7 when I watched it late one night (TV volume very low, of course). I was thinking, "Hey, how come the planet from orbit looks so real? How come the shuttlecraft looks like it is really moving, instead of hanging from fishing lines? And there is no wax-paper-like ellipse around the shuttlecraft? HOW COME THIS LOOKS SO GOOD?"
I have always been a Trekkie. Even liked Voyager. (Loved the Doctor, LOVED when Seven-of-Nine walked down corridors, front AND back.) But the special effects on the original often looked cheesy. Like the Galileo 7 inching along in orbit, or the Constellation starship wobbling its plastic way down the Doomsday Machine's gullet.
The new effects replace the 60s starship models with 2007 computer models, and they look great. Check it out. (TVLand does not seem to show the remastered episodes; check out a more local station.) However, stuff like the Gorn from Arena (still a great episode, even with the cheap silver-sparkle Gorn eyes) still looks the same.
Look up the episode list. And check out The Doomsday Machine! (remastered)
Anyhow, about time I posted again. One more thing: these episodes are available on iTunes. I am likely to buy a few.
Star Trek still RULEZ!!!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Grado SR80 headphones: A review by Dave "Lovesick" Strom
My old Sony headphones at home were falling apart. I wanted new ones. Ones that would cover my ears to block some external noise, and stay on my head better.
First, I though noise-canceling headphones would be neat. After trying them, I found they do the job, but only on low rumbly frequencies, not on whiny kids in coffee shops. So they would be great for an airplane (don't fly as much now), train (rare), or car (don't use headphones there). I will change my mind if I fly or train more in the future.
So I looked for the headphones that would sound the best. And whadda ya know, I found great ratings at Consumer Reports online. Some brand called Grado was rated highly; the Grado SR80 headphones for $95 were second only to the Bose $300 noise-canceling headphones. I looked on Amazon; everyone loves Grado SR80.
I need to try before I buy, but these are hard to find in a local store. I found an audiophile store in Berkeley that sells them. (Music Lovers Audio & Video,1995 El Dorado Ave, Berkeley, CA. Complete with audiophile hardware and a very pettable store kitty.) They are not Frys; if you buy, you keep. I listened. They sounded good. I bought ($95, even on Amazon), trusting the reviews.
Today I REALLY listened, whilst eating Pho and reading my Sunday paper. I am not an audiophile, so I will not talk about different frequencies, warmness of tone, crispness of blah, blah, blah. OK, I noticed that bass sounded bassier, and trebles sounded, uh, treblier? I noticed that with many songs, I heard stuff that I had not heard before. Hey, I had not heard that tambourine! Or that beat! These headphones sound GREAT!
Then I turned on "Mystery Achievement" by The Pretenders. (* I love that song.) The beginning drums sounded clear as a bell. And 13 seconds into the song, I heard... IT.
Chrissie Hynde drew breath. "Huh..."
I had never heard THAT before!!!! Was I imagining it?!?!? Was I getting even MORE Chrissie??!? With trembling, fumbling fingers, I set my iPod to the beginning of the song again. 13 anxiously awaited seconds later...
"Huh..."
Oh, Chrissie. Oh, Chrissie! OH, CHRISSIE!!!! Move over, Tyra Banks! I'm in love with my old crush again!
If you want to hear more of your music that you have ever heard before, if you want more high/mid/low range sound, if you wanna hear every little delight hidden away in your music (like Chrissie's smooth sexy little inhale 13 seconds into Mystery Achievement), get the Grado SR80 headphones. You can't find better headphones for less than $100 (before taxes).
The only debits: After an hour, before you get used to the headphones, you might adjust the fit some. Or maybe it is just that you won't wanna take them off. But I find these headphones are feeling better and better. Also, they will not block out external sound, with their foam earcups, quite as well as the top-of-the-line Bose, with their deep plastic earcups. But the SR80s sound so good, you won't notice the external noise (much). I know I am gonna get spoiled.
* Many years ago, I saw The Pretenders live. When Chrissie Hynde sang, I cried out in a lovesick plea, "Chrissie!!!", every 1 minute and 22 seconds, give or take 10 seconds and my testosterone levels at the time.
First, I though noise-canceling headphones would be neat. After trying them, I found they do the job, but only on low rumbly frequencies, not on whiny kids in coffee shops. So they would be great for an airplane (don't fly as much now), train (rare), or car (don't use headphones there). I will change my mind if I fly or train more in the future.
So I looked for the headphones that would sound the best. And whadda ya know, I found great ratings at Consumer Reports online. Some brand called Grado was rated highly; the Grado SR80 headphones for $95 were second only to the Bose $300 noise-canceling headphones. I looked on Amazon; everyone loves Grado SR80.
I need to try before I buy, but these are hard to find in a local store. I found an audiophile store in Berkeley that sells them. (Music Lovers Audio & Video,1995 El Dorado Ave, Berkeley, CA. Complete with audiophile hardware and a very pettable store kitty.) They are not Frys; if you buy, you keep. I listened. They sounded good. I bought ($95, even on Amazon), trusting the reviews.
Today I REALLY listened, whilst eating Pho and reading my Sunday paper. I am not an audiophile, so I will not talk about different frequencies, warmness of tone, crispness of blah, blah, blah. OK, I noticed that bass sounded bassier, and trebles sounded, uh, treblier? I noticed that with many songs, I heard stuff that I had not heard before. Hey, I had not heard that tambourine! Or that beat! These headphones sound GREAT!
Then I turned on "Mystery Achievement" by The Pretenders. (* I love that song.) The beginning drums sounded clear as a bell. And 13 seconds into the song, I heard... IT.
Chrissie Hynde drew breath. "Huh..."
I had never heard THAT before!!!! Was I imagining it?!?!? Was I getting even MORE Chrissie??!? With trembling, fumbling fingers, I set my iPod to the beginning of the song again. 13 anxiously awaited seconds later...
"Huh..."
Oh, Chrissie. Oh, Chrissie! OH, CHRISSIE!!!! Move over, Tyra Banks! I'm in love with my old crush again!
If you want to hear more of your music that you have ever heard before, if you want more high/mid/low range sound, if you wanna hear every little delight hidden away in your music (like Chrissie's smooth sexy little inhale 13 seconds into Mystery Achievement), get the Grado SR80 headphones. You can't find better headphones for less than $100 (before taxes).
The only debits: After an hour, before you get used to the headphones, you might adjust the fit some. Or maybe it is just that you won't wanna take them off. But I find these headphones are feeling better and better. Also, they will not block out external sound, with their foam earcups, quite as well as the top-of-the-line Bose, with their deep plastic earcups. But the SR80s sound so good, you won't notice the external noise (much). I know I am gonna get spoiled.
* Many years ago, I saw The Pretenders live. When Chrissie Hynde sang, I cried out in a lovesick plea, "Chrissie!!!", every 1 minute and 22 seconds, give or take 10 seconds and my testosterone levels at the time.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Anti-global-warming scientists = Exxon cash
Mallard Fillmore cites Thomas Sowell global hot air articles backed by "respected climate scientists" "open-minded" about global-warming.
A 1995 article in Harper's Magazine, Ross Gelbspan said that Richard S. Lindzen "charges oil and coal interests $2,500 a day for his consulting services."
From www.exxonsecrets.org:
Patrick J. Michaels' admits that 20 percent of his funding comes from fossil fuel sources.
From www.sourcewatch.com:
In a September 24, 1993, sworn affidavit, Dr. Singer admitted to doing climate change research on behalf of oil companies, such as Exxon, Texaco, Arco, Shell and the American Gas Association. Dennis Avery works at the Hudson Institute, which received $9.3 million in 1993 from such companies as General Electric, Monsanto, DuPont, and Exxon Mobil.
Open-minded? More like open-handed for oil money.
P.S. I just sent this to the Smirkury news. Let's see if they print it. Or if they's rather listen to a duck (brain the size of a marble).
David Strom
626 Mariners Island Blvd, #207
San Mateo, CA 94404
650-574-8398
A 1995 article in Harper's Magazine, Ross Gelbspan said that Richard S. Lindzen "charges oil and coal interests $2,500 a day for his consulting services."
From www.exxonsecrets.org:
Patrick J. Michaels' admits that 20 percent of his funding comes from fossil fuel sources.
From www.sourcewatch.com:
In a September 24, 1993, sworn affidavit, Dr. Singer admitted to doing climate change research on behalf of oil companies, such as Exxon, Texaco, Arco, Shell and the American Gas Association. Dennis Avery works at the Hudson Institute, which received $9.3 million in 1993 from such companies as General Electric, Monsanto, DuPont, and Exxon Mobil.
Open-minded? More like open-handed for oil money.
P.S. I just sent this to the Smirkury news. Let's see if they print it. Or if they's rather listen to a duck (brain the size of a marble).
David Strom
626 Mariners Island Blvd, #207
San Mateo, CA 94404
650-574-8398
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Mallard Fatso thinks Dean is crazy? Try Bill.
Mallard Fillmore thinks Howard Dean is crazy. Literally. Over a years-old cheerleader scream. A lot of football fans can be tossed into straightjackets using that illogic.
You want crazy? Obsessive-compulsive: CNN's playing Dean's scream over 600 times for two days. Denial of reality: The radical-right's screaming that the press is ultra-left liberal, when that same press blacklisted Gray Webb and drove him to suicide over his CIA-Contra-Cocaine story. Paranoia: Bill O'Reilly's ordering Fox security to threaten a caller to his radio show (phoning the caller at home), for saying, "I think Keith Olbermann's show –" (Bill cut the caller off here). Insanity: Prez Dubya feeding the Iraqi meat grinder more American troops again and again to try to clog it. Benjamin Franklin said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Different that another 3000 American troops dead, perhaps.
P.S. Don't believe me about Ballistic Bill? Read Bill's transcript, and the caller's story.
P.P.S. I sent this to the San Jose Mercury News, after cutting out the Gary Webb line. I figured that since the Mercury News was the leader in the blacklist, my pointing out the sticky gooey nasty BLOOD on their hands would not sit well with the letters editor. So I am sneaking that into this blog. Wonder if the Mercury News might gimme a phone call?
P.P.P.S. Oh yeah, the Merc only want letters of 125 words or less. The incredible shrinking letter. The soundbite police. Like hell, Smirkury News! I got a blog!
You want crazy? Obsessive-compulsive: CNN's playing Dean's scream over 600 times for two days. Denial of reality: The radical-right's screaming that the press is ultra-left liberal, when that same press blacklisted Gray Webb and drove him to suicide over his CIA-Contra-Cocaine story. Paranoia: Bill O'Reilly's ordering Fox security to threaten a caller to his radio show (phoning the caller at home), for saying, "I think Keith Olbermann's show –" (Bill cut the caller off here). Insanity: Prez Dubya feeding the Iraqi meat grinder more American troops again and again to try to clog it. Benjamin Franklin said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Different that another 3000 American troops dead, perhaps.
P.S. Don't believe me about Ballistic Bill? Read Bill's transcript, and the caller's story.
P.P.S. I sent this to the San Jose Mercury News, after cutting out the Gary Webb line. I figured that since the Mercury News was the leader in the blacklist, my pointing out the sticky gooey nasty BLOOD on their hands would not sit well with the letters editor. So I am sneaking that into this blog. Wonder if the Mercury News might gimme a phone call?
P.P.P.S. Oh yeah, the Merc only want letters of 125 words or less. The incredible shrinking letter. The soundbite police. Like hell, Smirkury News! I got a blog!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Molly Ivins and Texans And Lennie Briscoe
Molly Ivins passed away. Only 62 years old. Her jolly liberal (and Texan) wit will be missed.
Molly pointed out qualities about George Dubya Bush that many Texans share, and many Americans find appealing: religiousity, anti-intellectualism, and machismo.
As for those last two qualities, I think Molly would have been amused at what Law & Order's Lennie Briscoe had to say to a young male perp: "Look, kid, stupid and arrogant is a really bad combination!"
Molly pointed out qualities about George Dubya Bush that many Texans share, and many Americans find appealing: religiousity, anti-intellectualism, and machismo.
As for those last two qualities, I think Molly would have been amused at what Law & Order's Lennie Briscoe had to say to a young male perp: "Look, kid, stupid and arrogant is a really bad combination!"
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Colbert & O'Reilly: guess who will bomb?
Steve Colbert and Bill O'Reilly are switching host jobs for one show. That's right, for one night, Steve will be on Fox and O'Reilly will be on Comedy Central.
I bet Steve does fine and Bill bombs. Why? Steve is a satirist, Bill is a bully.
When Star Trek's Captain Kirk and his away team returned from an evil alternate universe (having accidently switched places with their evil counterparts, dang those cranky transporters), Kirk asked Mr. Spock how Spock found out the evil counterparts so quickly, while the good Kirk and friends were able to fool the evil universe people.
Mr. Spock's reply: "It was easier for you, as civilized men, to act like barbarians, then it was for them, as barbarians, to act like civilized men."
I bet Steve does fine and Bill bombs. Why? Steve is a satirist, Bill is a bully.
When Star Trek's Captain Kirk and his away team returned from an evil alternate universe (having accidently switched places with their evil counterparts, dang those cranky transporters), Kirk asked Mr. Spock how Spock found out the evil counterparts so quickly, while the good Kirk and friends were able to fool the evil universe people.
Mr. Spock's reply: "It was easier for you, as civilized men, to act like barbarians, then it was for them, as barbarians, to act like civilized men."
Friday, October 27, 2006
Dave Strom's Nov 2006 vote endorsements (Say you love it! Say it!)
Vote. And use paper, lest your electronic vote be changed to Republicans only (blech).
Here is the main page for my November 2006 Election Endorsements. For more direct links, see below.
Here are links to my picks for the California Propositions. Or you can just scroll down to read them sequentially.
Here are links to my picks for the California Politicos. This time, I have a lot to choose from.
Here are links to my picks for the San Mateo politicos. Or you can just scroll past the California Propositions to read the San Mateo stuff sequentially.
To make up my mind, I read my voter guide. I read smartvoter.org (the San Mateo page) to find more information on local candidates and issues. I also used the San Francisco Bay Guardian for more information about the state propositions and the California politicos. As usual for the local non-partisan candidates, I also googled some local newspaper articles and included the links.
Here is the main page for my November 2006 Election Endorsements. For more direct links, see below.
Here are links to my picks for the California Propositions. Or you can just scroll down to read them sequentially.
- NO. Proposition 1A: Spend the gas tax on things that have a use for gas
- NO. Proposition 1B: Roads, roads, roads!
- YES. Proposition 1C: Housing and Emergency Shelter (or when you got a gorilla at home, you need to have a place to move to!)
- YES. Proposition 1D: Improve School Buildings, Like More Labs and Keep Earthquakes From Squishing Kindergarteners
- YES. Proposition 1E: Keep California From Turning Into Katrina New Orleans
- NO!!!! Proposition 83: Jessica's Let's-Forget-About-Mark-Foley Law
- YES. Proposition 84: Protect Water. Again.
- NONONONONONO!!!!! Proposition 85: The Dead Teenager Act?!?!??! AGAIN?!?!?!?!
- YES. Proposition 86: Tax Cancer Sticks Some More
- YES. Proposition 87: Charge Oil-Drilling Fees, Like They Do Everywhere Else
- YES. Proposition 88: Pay 14 Cents A Day, A Measly 50 Dollars A Year, For Teaching Supplies
- YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!! Proposition 89: Public Financing Of Political Campaigns
- NO NO NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Proposition 90: Rich land fatcats make us pay made-up Enron prices for their land
Here are links to my picks for the California Politicos. This time, I have a lot to choose from.
- GUBERNATOR: Undecided
- LIEUTENANT GUBERNATOR: DONNA J. WARREN, Green
- SECRETARY OF STATE: DEBRA BOWEN, Democrat
- CONTROLLER: JOHN CHIANG. Democrat
- TREASURER: MEHUL M. THAKKER, Green
- ATTORNEY GENERAL: GOVERNOR MOONBEAM (Jerry Brown), Democrat
- INSURANCE COMMISIONER: LARRY CAFIERO, Green
- STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, DISTRICT 1: BETTY T. YEE, Democrat
- U.S. SENATOR: TODD CHRETIEN, Green
- U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 12TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: If no Green, then Spongebob Squarepants
- STATE SENATOR 8TH DISTRICT: LELAND Y. YEE, Democrat
- MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY 19TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT: GENE MULLIN, Democrat
- POMBO SUCKS!!!
Here are links to my picks for the San Mateo politicos. Or you can just scroll past the California Propositions to read the San Mateo stuff sequentially.
- SAN MATEO COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, TRUSTEE AREA 3: RHONDA CECCATO. Incumbent
- SAN MATEO COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNING BOARD, TRUSTEE AREA 4: ANTHONY FEL AMISTAD
- ASSOCIATE JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT: Yes to incumbents
- PRESIDING JUSTICES OF COURT OF APPEAL, DISTRICT 1: Yes to incumbents
To make up my mind, I read my voter guide. I read smartvoter.org (the San Mateo page) to find more information on local candidates and issues. I also used the San Francisco Bay Guardian for more information about the state propositions and the California politicos. As usual for the local non-partisan candidates, I also googled some local newspaper articles and included the links.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
The War at Home: Blow-by-blow account of TV that blows
I am watching "The War at Home." I want to see how bad TV can get.
The show starts with the father saying, "What?" And the audience laughs. Dumb audience laughs at what? I am guessing that the experimental CIA mind control gas is in beta-testing there.
The son has his father take him to a comic book convention. Wow, lotsa easy laughs coming right up!
Then the two kids in the hotel room stretch their voices into nerd. That joke is really tired. And they are wearing costumes? It might have worked if the costumes were more elaborate: these look like stuff from the bargain bin at Wal-Mart.
Whadda ya mean, kid, "ya can't go if you don't wear a costume?" MOST PEOPLE DON'T DRESS UP! Sure, some do. I go to comic cons, and most of the costumes look like the nerds put some work into them. Some guys actually fill out the Superman or Batman or Spider-Man costumes well. In fact, some chicks look pretty hot in their Power Girl / Supergirl / Wonder Woman costumes. And comic con costumers love having their picture taken. Woulda been a good gag. But the ignorant writers put NO CAMERAS in this show. The writers could have gotten a good gag with, for example, fans whose costumes do not fit the character; I will never forget the comic con where I saw a 350 pound Captain America running across a street. But these writers do not research. I bet this show is too cheap to show real comic book stuff cuz they would have to pay a few cents for the rights. The Simpsons would not cheap out! But these cheapo writers use "Zoltar." ("Fairly Odd Parents" made up The Crimson Chin, hired Jay Leno for the voice, and they mined gold with it!) I bet these writers got "Zoltar" off a shampoo bottle.
Look, trying to have the two kids act like geeks is not working. The writers have never been to a comic con. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said about horse races, their ignorance screams to the heavens. They can't write geek. In fact, they can't write, PERIOD!
Why is the mother saying about her daughter: "I want her to like me"? She should be a mom, not a teen. Not funny, not smart, just lazy writing.
The dad took a toy out of its box. I have never seen a more boring take on the NRFB * gag than this. Take a tip from the Joker: if you have to explain the joke, you don’t do it!
OH GOD, THIS SHOW IS ONLY HALF OVER!
The kids missed Zoltar cuz daddy watched the football game (how original). Hey, the dad actually said "Captain America?" You mean they put in a real comic book reference, but not a real costume? Note: I have never been to a San Diego Comic Con without seeing Star Wars Storm Troopers and Klingons. How hard would that have been? And the set looks like it cost $1.95!
The kid sez, "you are a worse father than Darth Vader!" Sorry, The Simpsons coulda made that funny. Not these losers.
I am actually grateful for the commercial break.
Oh no, the show is about to start. Shoot me now.
You know, if the mom could bend over more in front of the camera, I could at least see her cleavage. I'd be entertained by SOMETHING.
OK, let me guess. The father is seeing Zoltar in the bathroom (at the urinal, ho ho!), and I am right, Zoltar is a jerk. Boy, I am so surprised. Now I bet the son will stand up for daddy when fans attack him. Yep, I am right again. Oh man, the kids says, "Haven't you ever been at a baseball game and yelled touchdown?" NOBODY IS THAT DUMB! NOBODY!!!! I am not a sports guy, I don't even like the concept of competitive sports (why does someone ALWAYS have to lose for ANYONE to win?!?!?!). I am a nerd. And I was never that dumb. But the writers of this show think I am. I notice that line did not get a laugh. I guess the CIA mind control gas ran out by then.
They bleeped out the father using the F word. Twice. The audience giggled. Not a sophisticated crowd here. Look, "Repo Man" knew how to use the F word, and you guys don't! Stop trying until you know what to do with it!
I have no idea why The War At Home was renewed. Maybe Rupert Murdoch likes the mother's cleavage.
* OK, I'll tell you. NRFB means Never Removed From Box. These writers are NRFH: Never Removed From Hollywood. Hack writing at its hackiest. Thank god "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" came on later. It is a rerun, but it is mending my brain nicely.
Hmm, was it a real audience, or only a laugh box? Either way, they needed more CIA mind control gas.
The show starts with the father saying, "What?" And the audience laughs. Dumb audience laughs at what? I am guessing that the experimental CIA mind control gas is in beta-testing there.
The son has his father take him to a comic book convention. Wow, lotsa easy laughs coming right up!
Then the two kids in the hotel room stretch their voices into nerd. That joke is really tired. And they are wearing costumes? It might have worked if the costumes were more elaborate: these look like stuff from the bargain bin at Wal-Mart.
Whadda ya mean, kid, "ya can't go if you don't wear a costume?" MOST PEOPLE DON'T DRESS UP! Sure, some do. I go to comic cons, and most of the costumes look like the nerds put some work into them. Some guys actually fill out the Superman or Batman or Spider-Man costumes well. In fact, some chicks look pretty hot in their Power Girl / Supergirl / Wonder Woman costumes. And comic con costumers love having their picture taken. Woulda been a good gag. But the ignorant writers put NO CAMERAS in this show. The writers could have gotten a good gag with, for example, fans whose costumes do not fit the character; I will never forget the comic con where I saw a 350 pound Captain America running across a street. But these writers do not research. I bet this show is too cheap to show real comic book stuff cuz they would have to pay a few cents for the rights. The Simpsons would not cheap out! But these cheapo writers use "Zoltar." ("Fairly Odd Parents" made up The Crimson Chin, hired Jay Leno for the voice, and they mined gold with it!) I bet these writers got "Zoltar" off a shampoo bottle.
Look, trying to have the two kids act like geeks is not working. The writers have never been to a comic con. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said about horse races, their ignorance screams to the heavens. They can't write geek. In fact, they can't write, PERIOD!
Why is the mother saying about her daughter: "I want her to like me"? She should be a mom, not a teen. Not funny, not smart, just lazy writing.
The dad took a toy out of its box. I have never seen a more boring take on the NRFB * gag than this. Take a tip from the Joker: if you have to explain the joke, you don’t do it!
OH GOD, THIS SHOW IS ONLY HALF OVER!
The kids missed Zoltar cuz daddy watched the football game (how original). Hey, the dad actually said "Captain America?" You mean they put in a real comic book reference, but not a real costume? Note: I have never been to a San Diego Comic Con without seeing Star Wars Storm Troopers and Klingons. How hard would that have been? And the set looks like it cost $1.95!
The kid sez, "you are a worse father than Darth Vader!" Sorry, The Simpsons coulda made that funny. Not these losers.
I am actually grateful for the commercial break.
Oh no, the show is about to start. Shoot me now.
You know, if the mom could bend over more in front of the camera, I could at least see her cleavage. I'd be entertained by SOMETHING.
OK, let me guess. The father is seeing Zoltar in the bathroom (at the urinal, ho ho!), and I am right, Zoltar is a jerk. Boy, I am so surprised. Now I bet the son will stand up for daddy when fans attack him. Yep, I am right again. Oh man, the kids says, "Haven't you ever been at a baseball game and yelled touchdown?" NOBODY IS THAT DUMB! NOBODY!!!! I am not a sports guy, I don't even like the concept of competitive sports (why does someone ALWAYS have to lose for ANYONE to win?!?!?!). I am a nerd. And I was never that dumb. But the writers of this show think I am. I notice that line did not get a laugh. I guess the CIA mind control gas ran out by then.
They bleeped out the father using the F word. Twice. The audience giggled. Not a sophisticated crowd here. Look, "Repo Man" knew how to use the F word, and you guys don't! Stop trying until you know what to do with it!
I have no idea why The War At Home was renewed. Maybe Rupert Murdoch likes the mother's cleavage.
* OK, I'll tell you. NRFB means Never Removed From Box. These writers are NRFH: Never Removed From Hollywood. Hack writing at its hackiest. Thank god "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" came on later. It is a rerun, but it is mending my brain nicely.
Hmm, was it a real audience, or only a laugh box? Either way, they needed more CIA mind control gas.
Friday, September 15, 2006
About the writer for the Fantastic Four Movies
I think that they are hiring the same writer (which is what counts the most for movie quality) for Fantastic Four 2 as for the first movie. Zak Penn. (That sounds like a name the studio made up to hide a stable of hack writers!)
Here is Zak Penn's track record on IMDB.com and my opinion of it.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006): Only fair. Enjoyable due to the performances and the special effects, but the story did not feel as good as X-Men 1 and 2.
Fantastic Four (2005): Sucks and blows, he dissed Doctor Doom for no good reason whatsoever (making him an American yuppie was not an improvement), and what's with the 20-foot-high Jiffy-Pop lid?
Elektra (2005): Sucks, sucks, and a cute little girl to rescue does not add heart if the story sucks. Read the damn comic book, and take out the dumb CGI ninjas (bleh)! Electra is the world's most feared assassin who would make Hitler, Stalin, and bin Ladin wet their pants if they knew she was on their trail; she's not a CGI slicer. Saw it on Cousin Ben's TiVo, so I did not pay any $$$, and I still feel ripped off.
X2 (2003): X-Men 2. Pretty decent story. But he had help with this script. Maybe he only added a little suck.
Inspector Gadget (1999): Crummy. Dumbed down for little kids, with about 20 seconds of almost PG-13, half-assed, cutesy adult jokes, but no adult brains. Watched most of it on the Disney Channel. I said that considering the source cartoon, they had nowhere to go but up. Looks like they are afraid of heights.
Last Action Hero (1993): I liked it better than the critics. But without Arnold, it would have been lots worse.
Suspect Zero, Incident at Loch Ness, Behind Enemy Lines, PCU: did not see them. I am not rushing to Blockbuster.
My verdict is that FF 2, if this guy heads the script, will BLACK HOLE SUCK.
Here is Zak Penn's track record on IMDB.com and my opinion of it.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006): Only fair. Enjoyable due to the performances and the special effects, but the story did not feel as good as X-Men 1 and 2.
Fantastic Four (2005): Sucks and blows, he dissed Doctor Doom for no good reason whatsoever (making him an American yuppie was not an improvement), and what's with the 20-foot-high Jiffy-Pop lid?
Elektra (2005): Sucks, sucks, and a cute little girl to rescue does not add heart if the story sucks. Read the damn comic book, and take out the dumb CGI ninjas (bleh)! Electra is the world's most feared assassin who would make Hitler, Stalin, and bin Ladin wet their pants if they knew she was on their trail; she's not a CGI slicer. Saw it on Cousin Ben's TiVo, so I did not pay any $$$, and I still feel ripped off.
X2 (2003): X-Men 2. Pretty decent story. But he had help with this script. Maybe he only added a little suck.
Inspector Gadget (1999): Crummy. Dumbed down for little kids, with about 20 seconds of almost PG-13, half-assed, cutesy adult jokes, but no adult brains. Watched most of it on the Disney Channel. I said that considering the source cartoon, they had nowhere to go but up. Looks like they are afraid of heights.
Last Action Hero (1993): I liked it better than the critics. But without Arnold, it would have been lots worse.
Suspect Zero, Incident at Loch Ness, Behind Enemy Lines, PCU: did not see them. I am not rushing to Blockbuster.
My verdict is that FF 2, if this guy heads the script, will BLACK HOLE SUCK.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
The Anti-American Duck
As a fifty-year-old comic book reader, I am telling Mallard Fillmore (July 8 comics) that gay comic book characters (like the new Batwoman) are nothing new. Just ask Northstar, Pied Piper, the couple Shrinking Violet and Lightning Lass, the Rawhide Kid, or Rainmaker (lipstick lesbian, yow!). I'll believe you are an "actual conservative journalist" when you do some research.
And you are not a conservative either. Your dress code is Cartoon-first, America-a-distant-second: No pants! Think of the children! Batwoman wears a tight outfit, but she has the decency to cover up!
Mallard, stop sitting on the couch with your feet pointed towards me. Yuk!
And DC Comics, hire a good writer. Batwoman locking lips with Catwoman could be hot, but it won't sustain a story.
(Sent this to the Mercury News also. And I put it here so it won't go to waste.)
And you are not a conservative either. Your dress code is Cartoon-first, America-a-distant-second: No pants! Think of the children! Batwoman wears a tight outfit, but she has the decency to cover up!
Mallard, stop sitting on the couch with your feet pointed towards me. Yuk!
And DC Comics, hire a good writer. Batwoman locking lips with Catwoman could be hot, but it won't sustain a story.
(Sent this to the Mercury News also. And I put it here so it won't go to waste.)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Liberals are hogs too.
The July 5 Mallard Fillmore comic says that "(liberals) are calling for federal legislation requiring that liberal books be more popular" because Ann Coulter is "hogging" the New York Times best-seller list.
Unlike that duck, I googled for a few minutes and found liberal books that hogged said list:
Mark R. Levin's "Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America"
Glenn Greenwald's "How Would a Patriot Act?"
Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right"
Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men"
Jim Hightower's "Thieves in High Places"
Joe Conason's "Big Lies"
Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose's "Bushwhacked"
Seems that a duck, having a brain the size of a marble, won't do research.
P.S. I just sent this to the San Jose Mercury News. Maybe they won't print it, but I will.
Unlike that duck, I googled for a few minutes and found liberal books that hogged said list:
Mark R. Levin's "Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America"
Glenn Greenwald's "How Would a Patriot Act?"
Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right"
Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men"
Jim Hightower's "Thieves in High Places"
Joe Conason's "Big Lies"
Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose's "Bushwhacked"
Seems that a duck, having a brain the size of a marble, won't do research.
P.S. I just sent this to the San Jose Mercury News. Maybe they won't print it, but I will.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Blade the TV Series, summer colds, and bye bye iMovie
I watched the pilot of the Blade TV series. OK, but not enough to make me want to burn it to a DVD. The problem? Wesley Snipes left really big boots to fill. So I can't really fault the TV actor much for his perfomance. Maybe he needs to work a little harder to fill those big boots. However, I can fault him for using the name "Sticky Fingaz." Am I supposed to be impressed by that? Do your friends call you "Sticky?" On a hot day, do they call you "Gooey?" Or "Runny?" How about "Gummy" when the air gets dry?
Speaking of dry, I hate summer colds. They turn into dry throats that take forever to go away. Kaff, kaff. Dry throats feel worse on hot nights. Ugh.
P.S. On my iBook G4 (800Mhz, 1 gig RAM, 60 gig HD, DVD burner installed), iMovie 06 won't play my latest video project, but Final Cut Express does. Pretty ironic, huh? iMovie 06 has a playback problem (really bad stuttering) when you have a large number of audio clips. Or maybe a lot of extracted audio. Anyhow, it made editing nearly impossible. Good thing I wanted to make the switch to Final Cut Express anyhow.
Speaking of dry, I hate summer colds. They turn into dry throats that take forever to go away. Kaff, kaff. Dry throats feel worse on hot nights. Ugh.
P.S. On my iBook G4 (800Mhz, 1 gig RAM, 60 gig HD, DVD burner installed), iMovie 06 won't play my latest video project, but Final Cut Express does. Pretty ironic, huh? iMovie 06 has a playback problem (really bad stuttering) when you have a large number of audio clips. Or maybe a lot of extracted audio. Anyhow, it made editing nearly impossible. Good thing I wanted to make the switch to Final Cut Express anyhow.
Monday, June 12, 2006
New desktop PC is on the way.
2 gig RAM. Pentium D 930 (dual core, 3 GHz). 500 Gig Sata II hard drive. ATI All-in-Wonder graphics. Asus motherboard and a firewire card. Plextor DVD burner. And a floppy disk (whoopee). Dual-boot: Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux.
My friend Frank Lemmon helped me do this. I had put together all the hardware. But being of a a slightly wimpy state of mine, I went to Frank's for help and hand-holding. Plus he and his family fed me a delicious hamburger and corn. Mmm.
Here is how it went.
Overheating: solved.
When we first powered up the PC, it would only stay on for about 10 to 20 seconds. Frank (and I, I guess) determined that the CPU was likely overheating. Frank called a friend who suggested (among other things) that I check how well the CPU was seated. I took the fan off the CPU, and took the motherboard out of the case (grumbling a bit, but Frank thought it was needed). And the crazy push-pin things that Pentium uses to seat the fan on the CPU? Took a while to finally get them seated right, and I could not have done this if I had not removed the motherboard. I was pretty worried about the little square of thermal stuff between the CPU and the fan, but it help up. The PC then powered up and stayed powered up.
DVD drive IDE cable: solved.
First, I plugged it into the Secondary EIDE channel. Windows only partly installed, and then said there were fatal errors. I can't remember how we decided that we needed to change the DVD cables. Well, Frank asked for some reason, and I told him. You can't have a secondary on IDE without a primary. So we tried Primary EIDE. No go. Frank checked the motherboard manual: EIDE is for hard drives, not a DVD burner. Plugged it into Primary IDE. After we messed a little with the DVD jumpers (I think we changed it to Master), it worked. Windows began to install.
Note: Since the hard drive is SATA II, it was plugged into a SATA port, not IDE or EIDE.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 fussiness: solved.
Windows XP installed. I think at the start of the install, it asked how we would partition the hard drive. We decided to split it up into 4 partitions, but we only made the first one now: 100 Gig for Windows XP and any programs I install. Windows installed, but we had to reboot and reinsert the Windows XP CD a bit to get Service Pack 2 to install OK. Probably this was because we tried another Service Pack 2 CD the first time, when we should stuck with the original (since Windows and Service Pack 2 were on the same disk, although it was hard to read that off the shiny silver holographic CD labeling. Well, Windows finished the install just fine.
Ethernet under Windows XP did not work: solved.
Frank just messed around with this stuff until it worked. Shoulda watched what he did a bit more closely; motherboard Ethernet under Windows is always fussy. But the Ethernet, including the gigabit Ethernet, started working.
Firewire card: worked fine, no tweaking!
We checked the Firewire setting: Win XP control panel says it works fine. I will try to read a firewire drive soon to make sure. The firewire is from an Adaptec card, since the motherboard did not have any.
Ubuntu partition and install: worked well, but took figuring out.
It took a few tries to figure out how to make the partition for Ubuntu: a main partition (a bit less than 100 Gig) and a swap partition (4 Gig, in case I ever jack up my RAM to 4 Gig). We partitioned OK, but it took a few tries (hitting the back button a lot) to get Ubuntu install to get those partitions to show up for the Ubuntu install (no, Ubuntu, do not ask to install over the Windows partition, see the NEW partitions, c'mon, see them already!). And Ubuntu installed, but then...
Ubuntu video with lotsa fussiness and scariness: finally worked.
At first, Ubuntu said it would not work with the video. Frank and I thought that my video card--PCI-Express ATI All-In-Wonder--was not going to work with Ubuntu. But we did something. Maybe telling it to run in safe mode? But after a reboot or two, the video started working fine. At least, it looked fine. Certainly the resolution is better than 640x480.
Startup: Run Windows by default.
Frank used vi to edit the menu.lst file to make the Windows partition the default for startup. Which is what I requested.
To do over the next week or so to finish up:
Install all my drivers. Video card, maybe USB drivers for my Adapted card, any drivers I will need for Ubuntu, a firmware upgrade for my DVD burner, etc.
Update the drives and Windows.
Finish my disk partitions: one 200 Gig NTFS for data and video, and one 100 Gig FAT32 for Windows and Linux to share. I know that Ubuntu can read the NTFS partitions, but it can't write to them. We tried.
Install all my Windows software. Including OpenOffice. Since I have Microsoft Office on my Mac, I decided not to buy it for the PC. I might buy it later if I truly need it.
Make sure I get everything running on Linux. The Ethernet ran OK with no tweaking, which surprised me.
This PC seems very fast. And it is a cool black case (Antec Sonata II). I am looking forward to finally having a decent desktop for Win XP AND Linux. My next computer purchase will be replacing my iBook with a MacBook. But not for some time.
OK, I just wanted to write this tonight, since my throat was scratchy and I wanted time to fix and drink some soothing pomegranate tea. Up late again. Oh well.
My friend Frank Lemmon helped me do this. I had put together all the hardware. But being of a a slightly wimpy state of mine, I went to Frank's for help and hand-holding. Plus he and his family fed me a delicious hamburger and corn. Mmm.
Here is how it went.
Overheating: solved.
When we first powered up the PC, it would only stay on for about 10 to 20 seconds. Frank (and I, I guess) determined that the CPU was likely overheating. Frank called a friend who suggested (among other things) that I check how well the CPU was seated. I took the fan off the CPU, and took the motherboard out of the case (grumbling a bit, but Frank thought it was needed). And the crazy push-pin things that Pentium uses to seat the fan on the CPU? Took a while to finally get them seated right, and I could not have done this if I had not removed the motherboard. I was pretty worried about the little square of thermal stuff between the CPU and the fan, but it help up. The PC then powered up and stayed powered up.
DVD drive IDE cable: solved.
First, I plugged it into the Secondary EIDE channel. Windows only partly installed, and then said there were fatal errors. I can't remember how we decided that we needed to change the DVD cables. Well, Frank asked for some reason, and I told him. You can't have a secondary on IDE without a primary. So we tried Primary EIDE. No go. Frank checked the motherboard manual: EIDE is for hard drives, not a DVD burner. Plugged it into Primary IDE. After we messed a little with the DVD jumpers (I think we changed it to Master), it worked. Windows began to install.
Note: Since the hard drive is SATA II, it was plugged into a SATA port, not IDE or EIDE.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 fussiness: solved.
Windows XP installed. I think at the start of the install, it asked how we would partition the hard drive. We decided to split it up into 4 partitions, but we only made the first one now: 100 Gig for Windows XP and any programs I install. Windows installed, but we had to reboot and reinsert the Windows XP CD a bit to get Service Pack 2 to install OK. Probably this was because we tried another Service Pack 2 CD the first time, when we should stuck with the original (since Windows and Service Pack 2 were on the same disk, although it was hard to read that off the shiny silver holographic CD labeling. Well, Windows finished the install just fine.
Ethernet under Windows XP did not work: solved.
Frank just messed around with this stuff until it worked. Shoulda watched what he did a bit more closely; motherboard Ethernet under Windows is always fussy. But the Ethernet, including the gigabit Ethernet, started working.
Firewire card: worked fine, no tweaking!
We checked the Firewire setting: Win XP control panel says it works fine. I will try to read a firewire drive soon to make sure. The firewire is from an Adaptec card, since the motherboard did not have any.
Ubuntu partition and install: worked well, but took figuring out.
It took a few tries to figure out how to make the partition for Ubuntu: a main partition (a bit less than 100 Gig) and a swap partition (4 Gig, in case I ever jack up my RAM to 4 Gig). We partitioned OK, but it took a few tries (hitting the back button a lot) to get Ubuntu install to get those partitions to show up for the Ubuntu install (no, Ubuntu, do not ask to install over the Windows partition, see the NEW partitions, c'mon, see them already!). And Ubuntu installed, but then...
Ubuntu video with lotsa fussiness and scariness: finally worked.
At first, Ubuntu said it would not work with the video. Frank and I thought that my video card--PCI-Express ATI All-In-Wonder--was not going to work with Ubuntu. But we did something. Maybe telling it to run in safe mode? But after a reboot or two, the video started working fine. At least, it looked fine. Certainly the resolution is better than 640x480.
Startup: Run Windows by default.
Frank used vi to edit the menu.lst file to make the Windows partition the default for startup. Which is what I requested.
To do over the next week or so to finish up:
Install all my drivers. Video card, maybe USB drivers for my Adapted card, any drivers I will need for Ubuntu, a firmware upgrade for my DVD burner, etc.
Update the drives and Windows.
Finish my disk partitions: one 200 Gig NTFS for data and video, and one 100 Gig FAT32 for Windows and Linux to share. I know that Ubuntu can read the NTFS partitions, but it can't write to them. We tried.
Install all my Windows software. Including OpenOffice. Since I have Microsoft Office on my Mac, I decided not to buy it for the PC. I might buy it later if I truly need it.
Make sure I get everything running on Linux. The Ethernet ran OK with no tweaking, which surprised me.
This PC seems very fast. And it is a cool black case (Antec Sonata II). I am looking forward to finally having a decent desktop for Win XP AND Linux. My next computer purchase will be replacing my iBook with a MacBook. But not for some time.
OK, I just wanted to write this tonight, since my throat was scratchy and I wanted time to fix and drink some soothing pomegranate tea. Up late again. Oh well.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Dave Aye's June 2006 Election Picks!
My June 2006 election endorsements.
Read them. Use them. Reply on my blog, or email me and I will post your reply on the blog. Knowledge is power. If I disagree with your reply, I might post something about that. But time is short cuz I am down to the wire again. I did a little video for a friend; I needed to finish that first. (And the formatting is a little screwed up on this post; too much space between lines! I will fix that later, and apologize now for the irritating appearance.)
Here are links to my picks for the California Propositions.
- Proposition 81: Yes on A Pure Good: Libraries!
- Proposition 82: YES (sorta) for The Educate Rugrats Bill
I have no endorsements for the partisan offices, like governor, attorney general, and other great stuff. Who do I have to choose from? Green Party people. I won't waste my time telling you how I am voting here, since no one I know would find that info useful. When, oh when, will I register as "Decline to state" to allow me to vote in any primary I want? I like that the two demo governator wanna-bes are sniping at each other. Maybe I coulda voted against a jerk, and smiled nastily when doing so. But NOOOOO, I hafta choose from clean moral boring Greens! I am gonna take care of this. I'll stay Green, but I won't tell the state.
Here are links to my picks for the San Mateo issues.
- Judge of the Superior Court, Office No. 11: Maguire
- Member of the Board of Supervisors, 3rd District: Richard Gordon
- Coroner: Robert J. Foucrault
- Sherriff: Gregory Munks
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: Jack O'Connell
- District Attorney: James P. Fox
- Treasurer-Tax Collector: Lee Buffington
- County Superintendent of Schools: Jean Holbrook
- Member, Board of Supervisors 2nd Supervisorial District: Jerry Hill
- Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder: Warren Slocum
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
TIme to update the blog. Desktop, Colbert, Comics
Do I really have anything worth saying right now? Well, maybe if I start typing...
To my friends and relatives: I am rebuilding my PC desktop. I put it off long enough. I do wonder how long it will take to get this thing up and running.
To the Washington Press Corp: Your reaction to Stephen Colbert's speech showed you to be (surprise, surprise) a bunch of pussies. Long may The Colbert wave!
Do you know when people are making hotel reservations for the July San Diego Comic Con? 6 months early. SIX. MONTHS. EARLY. I guess the comic book world is still doing well. Better make my reservations by Halloween.
I admit, I will buy the Civil War storyline from Marvel. DC and Marvel have to do these crossovers to keep sales up. Lately, Marvel had been smart enough to work with relevant and interesting story topics. House of M: what if the oppressed mutant minority was at the top of the social scale? Civil War: all mutants and superheroes in the USA have to register with the gubmint and git a gubmint job, and git their masks yanked off in front of cranky congressmen, and git stuffed into a database that the gubmint says will not be abused, we PROMISE, really really. A certain segment of the population being treated like potential crooks because of an accident of DNA? Sounds awfully familiar.
And what is DC's latest crossover? Infinite Earths Get Reshuffled Again, But This Time In An Even Grittier Way Cuz A Spare Superboy Goes Nutzoid! Can you say retread?
That is enough for one post. Later.
To my friends and relatives: I am rebuilding my PC desktop. I put it off long enough. I do wonder how long it will take to get this thing up and running.
To the Washington Press Corp: Your reaction to Stephen Colbert's speech showed you to be (surprise, surprise) a bunch of pussies. Long may The Colbert wave!
Do you know when people are making hotel reservations for the July San Diego Comic Con? 6 months early. SIX. MONTHS. EARLY. I guess the comic book world is still doing well. Better make my reservations by Halloween.
I admit, I will buy the Civil War storyline from Marvel. DC and Marvel have to do these crossovers to keep sales up. Lately, Marvel had been smart enough to work with relevant and interesting story topics. House of M: what if the oppressed mutant minority was at the top of the social scale? Civil War: all mutants and superheroes in the USA have to register with the gubmint and git a gubmint job, and git their masks yanked off in front of cranky congressmen, and git stuffed into a database that the gubmint says will not be abused, we PROMISE, really really. A certain segment of the population being treated like potential crooks because of an accident of DNA? Sounds awfully familiar.
And what is DC's latest crossover? Infinite Earths Get Reshuffled Again, But This Time In An Even Grittier Way Cuz A Spare Superboy Goes Nutzoid! Can you say retread?
That is enough for one post. Later.
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