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May 25, 2006
Touch vs. Vision
I've mostly settled on a Creative Zen of some sort - either the 40G Touch, or the 30G Vision:M.
The Touch needs a firmware update to support "PlaysForSure" (i.e. subscription licensing ala Rhapsody), but the extra 10G means I can probably fit my collection and have a bit of space left for a rotating set of other stuff.
I'm currently at 25G on my jukebox, encoded at 144kbps OGG - to get similar quality from MP3 I'd use lame's "medium" preset, which seems to result in files about 20% larger. So 30G would be really tight, 40 leaves some breathing room.
The Touch is an end-of-life product, which I'm never thrilled about buying into, and is missing the FM tuner (well, it's available on the wired remote, but really, who cares). The Vision is slightly smaller than the Touch, though both are smaller (and lighter) than my Neuros.
Since neither one has the built-in FM transmitter that the Neuros has, I suspect the Neuros will remain the first choice for car trips.
Posted by dberger at 9:01 AM | Comments (1)
May 23, 2006
The Oldest Scotch I've Ever Had
There's a bottle of scotch that's been handed down at work, from one leaving person to another. Somehow it's survived several generations, but George (one of my team) decided it ends today.
Pay close attention folks - it was 18 years old in 1998.
For those playing along at home, that makes it 26 years old.
Posted by dberger at 5:25 PM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2006
Halfway Point
I just finished re-ripping the first of two CD cases. 338 albums average 358.879MB in size, (118.5 GB total, largest: 585 MB, smallest: 68 MB)
This is taking longer than I'd like...
Posted by dberger at 9:40 PM | Comments (0)
It's (Finally) Starting to Feel Real
Over the past week I started cleaning out my office slowly. Taking a couple books home each day, finding the surface of my desk, removing anything personal from the Powerbook.
I hit a tipping point yesterday afternoon. I gave my Windows machine, and KVM switch, to my newest team member who needed a second box to run Linux on and put all the "supporting materials" for the Powerbook back in the box for the next lucky person. And I gave Ian first-right-of-refusal on my sofa (which he took, assuming we can fit it in his office, or just move him into mine).
The office feels less and less like someone "lives" here.
T minus 5 business days and counting.
Posted by dberger at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
May 18, 2006
I'm definitely getting to old for this...
We had tickets to Reduced Shakespeare's Complete History of America (Abridged) last night in Seattle. Dawnise and I parked the Saturn on the Bainbridge side and walked on to the 5:30pm boat.
As Dawnise wasn't hungry and I hate eating alone, we decided to postpone dinner and, after walking around the city for a bit to kill some time, met met Dina and Juan at the Moore just in time for the 7:30 curtain.
Continue reading "I'm definitely getting to old for this..."
Posted by dberger at 7:56 AM | Comments (0)
May 17, 2006
My New Office View
For Christmas Dawnise bought us a set of Sky Chair knock-offs from Overstock.com. Last night, after dinner, I hung them on the upstairs deck.
Today, I'm reaping the benefits...
Posted by dberger at 11:31 AM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2006
Speaking of High School Flash-backs
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheesh.
Posted by dberger at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
Maximum Ride
While we were at Costco the other day I picked up a paperback copy of Maximum Ride, largely on the basis of the cover illustration and the back cover blurb, not realizing it was "teen fiction."
In fact, my conclusion a couple chapters in was that the writing was horribly sophomoric, the story trite and predictable, and the characters completely arch-typical and cliche.
Having finished the 400-odd page novel, I feel confident in saying that I played deeper games of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while in High School.
Meh.
Posted by dberger at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)
May 14, 2006
Convertibles Rock (Part II)
Cycle Gear had a one-day only deal on the size tires that both my Trophy and RS eat, and while browsing their site, I found a Frank Thomas one piece leather suit on closeout for $300 ($200 off).
I've thought about buying a seat of leathers ever since buying the RS, but my disdain for looking like a power-ranger coupled with the $500+ price tag had held me back. At $300, I figured they might be worth a shot.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any Frank Thomas sizing information online, so this morning Dawnise and I hopped back in the car and drove down to the nearest Cycle Gear, in Tacoma.
Continue reading "Convertibles Rock (Part II)"
Posted by dberger at 6:58 PM | Comments (2)
May 13, 2006
Convertibles Rock
A couple months back we were visiting Camaraderie Cellars - a small winemaker in Port Angeles, about 90 minutes from the house - when we saw wine racks they were making out of (used) barrel staves. The color of the wood on one side, and stained rich red on the other, they were striking and functional, and Dawnise (being the wonderful woman she is) ordered one for me.
A couple weeks ago we got a call that it was ready, so today we hopped in the car, put the top down, and made the trip to Port Angeles. The drive is pleasant by itself, and combined with the absolutely gorgeous weather today and the new convertible, it was most excellent.
Posted by dberger at 3:36 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2006
The Ferry In Springtime
There are few things better than sitting on the sundeck on the ferry home in the spring, when the days are long, and random folks bring their guitars, saxophones, fiddles, and any other mostly portable instrument.
This evening we were serenaded by a guy on a sax, and he wasn't bad.
Watching the scenery around the sound, reading a book, and listening to a guy blowing jazz.
Too good.
Posted by dberger at 7:05 PM | Comments (2)
I can't walk, and I feel the urge to quack...
I'm trying to stay engaged for the last few weeks of my tenure, but it's gettin' tough, I must say.
Wonder if this is what it feels like to be a 2nd term president...
Posted by dberger at 1:02 PM | Comments (1)
Windows on MacBookPro
One of the guys in the office bought a MacBookPro for himself a while back, and has been playing with BootCamp and Parallels. I got the chance to boot the machine into Windows to see if my idea of using one as a "mostly Windows" machine has legs.
Continue reading "Windows on MacBookPro"
Posted by dberger at 11:33 AM | Comments (1)
May 10, 2006
Suggestions for an Wintel Notebook?
Valve is a Windows shop, and "my" Powerbook (the one I've had a love-hate relationship with over the last 18 months) belongs to Real, so I'll be looking for the next notebook.
My first thought was to lobby for one of the Intel MacBook Pro 15's, but before I go there, I figured I should look around a bit.
I've had Dell's in the past, and they're ok, but not great (and they're either underpowered "executive" notebooks, or weigh a ton). Friends swear by (and at) Fujitsu, and HP has just announced the dv2000, which looks promising, but not perfect.
The machine needs to be beefy enough to play Halflife 2, and needs to be light enough to carry without developing a permanent hunch (6lbs is tolerable, much more isn't). Screen size is important, at least 14", but 17" is too big. I'm torn between the Intel Core Duo and an AMD single core (their dual core isn't likely to be available in time for my mid-June acquisition). If I'm beeing picky, DVI out is highly desirable, but seems to really limit the options. Oh, and could it please not be hideously ugly?
Finally I'd really like it to fit in my Timbuk2, which fits the Powerbook like a glove.
Anyone... anyone... Bueller? Bueller?
Posted by dberger at 1:44 PM | Comments (0)
May 6, 2006
Bought a Car
After doing some follow-up research, I made Adam @ BMW of Seattle an offer he couldn't (ok, he could have, but he didn't) refuse, and we drove the car home this afternoon.
The sun was kind enough to come out for the duration of the drive from the dealer to the ferry, and let me just say, convertibles rock.
It's a Topaz Blue '03 BMW 330ci convertible, pretty much loaded (premium, cold weather and sport packages, steptronic automatic, parking sensors, xenon lights, cd changer), with about 42,000 miles (it's still under the factory warranty). We ended up extending the scheduled maintenance "pre-buy" into the deal since it nearly pays for itself by covering the 60k mile maintenance.
We had planned to pay cash, but BMW offered us a really low rate (4.9%), and a quick consult with our financial virus convinced us to finance half of it and invest the other half. (The theory is we'll come out ahead in the long run.)
The Saturn is parked in the driveway, and in a case of nearly perfect timing, my brother needs a car, so assuming he can find enough in the sofa cushions, and make his way up here to drive it home to Chico, I think we can solve that problem too.
Time to go to Costco and spend more money.
Posted by dberger at 3:44 PM | Comments (2)
May 5, 2006
Another Automotive Possibility
Now this looks cool. The price tag's a bit steep, though.
Posted by dberger at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)
Pondering a Car Purchase
I've wanted a convertible for a long time, and until recently I've been fixated on a roadster, but Dawnise correctly pointed out that having a two-seater isn't exactly practical as our only car.
So I started looking at convertible sedans. There's the Chrystler Sebring - which Consumer Reports basically hated, the Toyota Solara - which Consumer Reports liked but, as our neighbor Toki put it, looks like "like you're driving a shoe", the Audi A4, something from Mercedes (I'm not a MB fan), the Saab 9-3, and the BMW 3-series.
Continue reading "Pondering a Car Purchase"
Posted by dberger at 7:04 AM | Comments (1)
May 3, 2006
Thank Goodness for Asian Groceries
Every once in a while Dawnise and I will wander through Uwajimaya - the big-ass asian grocery in Seattle. We'll get random snacks, and (most relevant to this) instant lunches.
Why is it that all the American grocers carry is Cup-O-Sodium (cleverly disguised as Cup-O-Noodles) when there are so many actually edible varieties out there?
My current favorite is the Nong Shim Udon, with fresh packed Udon noodles and a nicely spicy base. 6 minutes, just add boiling water (twice).
Posted by dberger at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)
Revisionist History
I've started posting back-dated entries that were occluded during my job hunt/decision process. I don't know if they'll show up as new in the RSS feed - and I know they won't show up on the front page (chronologically sorted and all).
If you're really curious, I guess you might have to look for 'em. They're all in one category, and they were all posted in April or May, so they shouldn't be too hard to find.
That is all.
Posted by dberger at 8:24 AM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2006
The Cat's (Finally) Out of the Bag
It's now no longer a secret at work that I've given notice - my absentee team member returned from his vacation today, and I sat down with him and let him in on it. I'll be in my current spot 'till the 26th of this Month, then take a few weeks off before starting the new gig.
I have a dozen or so blog posts I wrote during the process, and at some point I'll go back over them and publish the more relevant ones.
Posted by dberger at 3:40 PM | Comments (0)
May 1, 2006
Can't Give 'em Money Even If I Try
I wanted to buy a Squeezebox, but the lack of Rhapsody support was a deal-breaker, and I ended up with (two) Roku's instead.
Don't get me wrong - I like the Roku's, and I like that they support Rhapsody (though I hate that you can't search or discover content), but much of the time, I'm playing local content served up via SlimServer. SlimServer has a ton of cool features, and I really like it. So the other day I sent an email to their support address to see how I could pay them for the software...
Continue reading "Can't Give 'em Money Even If I Try"
Posted by dberger at 9:51 PM | Comments (1)