Entries from September 2008The Posts You Asked For

Last time I built my own computer, I thought, “This wasn’t too hard.” This time it was disturbingly easy. If you’re looking for a new machine but don’t think you should tackle building your own, think again. Everything is so darned modular, it was a snap – literally.
No, I won’t go into excruciating detail.
Pick a [...]

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Alaska Gov. Sarah has been using a personal e-mail account (gov.palin@yahoo.com) in order to get around the various laws that require her office to keep records of all government-related correspondence. But now, per Wikileaks…
Circa midnight Tuesday the 16th of September (EST) activists loosely affiliated with the group ‘anonymous’ gained access to U.S. Republican Party Vice-presidential [...]

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The new computer (well, the parts of it) are on their way from NewEgg.
I vacillated between two processors, both Intel: A 3.1-GHz dual core and a 2.4-GHz quad core. For gaming, the dual core is apparently better because of the higher clock speed. But for image editing and video rendering, quad core wins. I do [...]

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The time has come (i.e., The Wife has given her reluctant blessing) to get a new computer. Build, actually. It’s been a while since I’ve done that; my current machine was a gift, and the one before that, which I built, was an at-the-time-incredible 800 MHz.
My general rule for a new PC is that I [...]

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I use TinyURL all the time to shorten annoying Web addresses. The result is usually something like http://tinyul.com/17a345q1.
Today I popped in a YouTube address for a video from the California Association of Realtors. What URL did I get?
http://tinyurl.com/0
Whoa.

 
CORRECTION: Looks like it was a glitch in the TinyURL system. It doesn’t actually work. :(

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What does it mean? This office has more three-hole punches than any place I’ve ever seen.

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I spoke too soon. Kubuntu Linux (and its Wubi Windows installer) are still not quite ready for prime time.

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This is Tommy “Chip” Holohan. His sister is married to my brother.
Tommy was a firefighter at Engine Company 6, in lower Manhattan. It was one of the first responders on 9/11. Tommy was one of four from the company who didn’t make it out.
No long eulogies. Plenty of those around. [...]

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Every few months I get the Linux bug again. This time, though, it might be installed to stay. The new version of Ubuntu (or in my case, the KDE version, Kubuntu) has a single feature that’s a game changer for me and — I can imagine — for others. It’s called Wubi. More in a [...]

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Still no police. They must be waiting by my car for the ambush.

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Seen in South Africa.

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So the long-awaited game Spore was released in the U.S. today, and it’s getting lousy reviews — an average of fewer than two stars on Amazon.
Why? Two reasons. First, the game’s DRM (digital restrictions management) is, in the words of several reviewers, “draconian.” You must lower your computer’s security settings to install it, and [...]

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Sometimes the gods make it pretty clear that a particular place is in their crosshairs….
 

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I realize it’s been a while since I mentioned the horrible service and horrible treatment at Brambleton Veterinary Hospital in Roanoke, especially the conduct of Dr. Linda Jennings. I wanted to remind everyone of what a terrible place it is, and how so many ex-customers found this blog and posted their horror stories.
If you don’t [...]

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I really like Google’s Picasa — it’s a terrific tool for editing and browsing your photos. It’s “basic” editing functions are all I need 99 percent of the time; Photoshop only comes in when I need to edit part of an image. When it comes to adjusting the lighting, sharpness, and so on, Picasa does [...]

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So I got Google Chrome, the new browser that’s all over the tech news. It’s fine. It’s OK. But it’s no Firefox.
Under the hood I have no doubt it’s terrific. It’s certainly fast, and I like some aspects of the new design — tabs on the top, notably.
But it’s lacking in so many [...]

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Chrome is live!

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Car inspected, new registration — whew! Legal again!

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I’m really impressed by the Web sites that have sprung up to spread information about Hurricane Gustav. No government required — regular folks created full-featured sites for people to share information, photos, videos, and whatever as Gustav approached and struck.
Just like Wikipedia, the Hurricane Gustav Wiki allows anyone to add and edit content, creating a [...]

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