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January 31, 2008
I guess it's just the way I'm wired
It seems I tend to repeat myself.
Even here.
I was about to write a blog post, when it all started to feel familiar...
Turns out, it was.
Maybe this time I'll try do something about it.
Or maybe the memory of the thing is better than the thing itself, and I should just remember.
Is that possible?
Posted by dberger at 5:11 PM | Comments (1)
January 30, 2008
Software Sucks
Every time Dawnise expands the scope of what she wants to do with her computer, I'm confronted with a harsh reminder of how badly software sucks.
Two recent examples.
Continue reading "Software Sucks"
Posted by dberger at 8:11 PM | Comments (3)
January 25, 2008
Kitchen Remodel, Step 1
We got our new fridge today - a stainless steel, 25 cu ft, bottom-freezer, french-door Maytag.
It's the first freezer-on-the-bottom fridge I've ever had, and I'm already hooked. No more stooping to get into the fridge.
The only downside so far is that the stainless door panels aren't magnetic.
Otherwise, it's big, it's quiet, it's pretty energy efficient, and unlike the fridge that the previous owners left, the defrost drain isn't easily clogged and near impossible to clear, so the freezer won't fill up with ice about once a month.
Posted by dberger at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2008
Camera
As speculated, Canon announced their model refresh today - the 450D, a.k.a. Rebel XSi.
It won't hit shelves 'till April.
And of course, just to punish me, they've switched from CF to SD/SDHC - which means the 16GB CF card I just bought in anticipation of getting the camera is as useful to me as tits on a bull.
Crap.
Posted by dberger at 8:03 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2008
Bandwidth
I've decided to try to quantify the variability of my cable modem bandwidth. Just before 7 this morning, I ran a speed test:
Continue reading "Bandwidth"
Posted by dberger at 6:58 AM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2008
Camera
After thinking about it for several years, I'm finally "in the market" for a DSLR.
My dad always (well, as far back as I remember) had Nikons - two F bodies. He brought the cameras out occasionally - less and less often as I grew up and the kids became more of the focus (groan) on any given outing. So my first thought was to buy a D40x and borrow his lenses, but after talking to a bunch of friends who've made the plunge, I've decided to go Canon.
Continue reading "Camera"
Posted by dberger at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2008
World in My Eyes
Two bars of World in My Eyes from Violator, and I'm back in 1990.
Could it really be that long ago?
Update/Edit: It's been a double-Depeche-Mode sort of morning - Albumlist decided that after a bit of Michael Bublé, I needed to hear Music for the Masses.
Posted by dberger at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
Low Maintenance Strikes Again
While our stuff was being moved into the new house, I noticed that the three lights on posts that flank the driveway and steps to the front door kept turning on and off. I feared there was an electrical short under the concrete, and resolved to get to the bottom of it as soon as I had a chance.
Continue reading "Low Maintenance Strikes Again"
Posted by dberger at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
Out of the Woods
I picked up a copy of Tracey Thorn's second solo release Out of the Woods. After only one listen there are already several tracks that stand out.
A few tracks are strongly reminiscent of Everything but the Girl, while the others push her sound out in other directions.
Check it out.
Posted by dberger at 9:52 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2008
Why My Next Machine (Still) Won't Be a Mac
My desktop machine has been acting flaky lately. I suspect it's the power supply - and on that theory I bought a replacement, and took the opportunity to get a better (quieter) case while I was at it.
My power supply theory could turn out to be wrong, in which case the symptoms suggest some core component is failing - probably the on-board SATA controller.
So I started pricing out upgrades, and wondering if this is the upgrade when I either buy a "brand name" machine, or ditch the desktop machine and go notebook all the way.
Continue reading "Why My Next Machine (Still) Won't Be a Mac"
Posted by dberger at 10:53 AM | Comments (3)
January 15, 2008
CD Storage (Re)solved.
The new CD shelves arrived yesterday - it was a bit of a trick to get upstairs, but assembled easily, looks reasonable, and (most importantly) fits in the desired space.
And there's even a bit of room to grow, which is good.
Posted by dberger at 9:34 AM | Comments (0)
Awesome...
Dawnise just pointed this article out to me.
Executive summary:
The more wine costs, the more people enjoy it, regardless of how it tastes, a study by California researchers has found.
Posted by dberger at 8:31 AM | Comments (0)
AWD is cool
It snowed last night - which is, of course, impossible as it doesn't snow in Seattle.
But it did.
It wasn't much, and when I got up to leave this morning, the roads around our house looked pretty clear, but I figured I'd err on the side of caution and take Oz rather than Anne.
Turned out to be a good choice...
Continue reading "AWD is cool"
Posted by dberger at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2008
Paper Ballots
That didn't take long. The first rumblings of election fraud area already starting - claiming that the results of the NH primary differ dramatically between hand-counted and Diebold-counted counties. [EDIT: A friend pointed this dailykos article out to me which states that NH doesn't use touch screen machines.]
The cover story NY Times Magazine was an article on the current state of electronic voting.
In response, MoveOn (an organization I moved-on from when they wouldn't bloody leave me alone) is making it easy to contact your elected representative to protest the ongoing use of voting machines demonstrated again and again to be unsuitable for the task.
Continue reading "Paper Ballots"
Posted by dberger at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)
January 9, 2008
Tea, Dammit!
A friend of mine uses a LiveJournal icon that makes me smile whenever it accompanies a post:
Continue reading "Tea, Dammit!"
Posted by dberger at 2:12 PM | Comments (1)
January 5, 2008
Collapse
I just finished Jared Diamond's Collapse How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. It was entertaining, enlightening, and fairly depressing without being alarmist (Diamond describes himself as a cautious optimist).
I highly recommend reading it. And think carefully about what we can and must learn from the collapse of societies in our collective past.
Modern societies, even first-world ones like the US, are far from immune from the external and internal forces that cause collapse.
The choice is our to make, either by decisive action or by inaction and momentum.
Posted by dberger at 1:13 PM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2008
CD Storage (Again)
Seems every few years I re-tackle the problem of how to store our CD collection. Last time I did this, in mid 2004, I ended up with two cherry finish storage pedestals from storeyourmedia.com.
Continue reading "CD Storage (Again)"
Posted by dberger at 6:51 PM | Comments (1)
The Curse of Taste^wSnobbery
While I was off around the holidays, I got used to drinking good coffee at home. Nothing spectacular, really - just a well brewed cup of good coffee.
I had forgotten what bitter swill Starbucks slings 'till on my first day back I accompanied some co-workers to the outlet across the street.
I got a drip coffee and nearly did a spit-take on my first sip.
Gack.
Posted by dberger at 9:49 AM | Comments (0)