Friday, March 31
The Promise of Bluetooth
Yesterday, during a tedious spot in a meeting, I decided to take the opportunity to HotSync my Tungsten T5 and PowerBook G4. And people thought Bluetooth was only good for Annoying Cellphone Headsets. I'm still waiting for The Promise Of Bluetooth .. when I can use it to buy a soda from the vending machine.
Monday, March 27
signal avoidance
Last August, I blogged about an otherwise routine trip to my ophthalmologist where he suspected I have glaucoma. Turns out that's mitigated by the thickness of our corneas .. if it's thick, the pressure on the eye can be discounted. So, when this was rechecked last week, the extra measurements led him to put me in the "monitor" category, rather than the "Seeing Eye® dog" category. The nurse took the readings, and called out "602" for my left eye and "603" for my right. I don't know if that's a measure of hectares/fortnight or liters/estrangement. Heck, it could even be an areacode for Arizona.
It's a good thing I'm not totally blind yet; it would've been hard to determine if I could drive the 4 miles to work without encountering any traffic signals. Other than those red/yellow/green things, my only obstacle to work are the three (3) School Zones en route. I could get to The Old Office without any traffic signals, by taking an indirect route, and crossing one 6-lane highway (after looking both ways and then flooring it). After consulting a map, and given my knowledge of the streets, I tested my theory on a journey from home to The New Office .. and failed:
Unrelated #-0, but worth a laugh: The Straight Dope: Is astrology for real?
Unrelated #P: It seems the Dallas Convention Bureau is coming out against the TABC's latest tactic (arresting anyone who's drunk in a bar). It seems several major conventions have threatened to cancel .. which would cost Dallas BILLIONS in lost revenue. Anyone want to guess which side's gonna win this fight? (Heck, I didn't even know that the Dick Cheney Fan Club was coming to town ...)
It's a good thing I'm not totally blind yet; it would've been hard to determine if I could drive the 4 miles to work without encountering any traffic signals. Other than those red/yellow/green things, my only obstacle to work are the three (3) School Zones en route. I could get to The Old Office without any traffic signals, by taking an indirect route, and crossing one 6-lane highway (after looking both ways and then flooring it). After consulting a map, and given my knowledge of the streets, I tested my theory on a journey from home to The New Office .. and failed:
| miles | traffic signals | |
|---|---|---|
| avoid signals | 7 | 1 |
| don't avoid | 4 | 7 |
Unrelated #-0, but worth a laugh: The Straight Dope: Is astrology for real?
Unrelated #P: It seems the Dallas Convention Bureau is coming out against the TABC's latest tactic (arresting anyone who's drunk in a bar). It seems several major conventions have threatened to cancel .. which would cost Dallas BILLIONS in lost revenue. Anyone want to guess which side's gonna win this fight? (Heck, I didn't even know that the Dick Cheney Fan Club was coming to town ...)
Saturday, March 25
on the road to Wichita
I have no immediate travel plans, but I'm amused by the latest airfare wars. American's trying to make Southwest's life miserable, but only until they buy enough US Senators to make sure the Wright Amendment isn't repealed .. then it's back to Business As Usual.
Case in point: you can drive the 200 miles from Kansas City to Wichita in about 3 hours. Is it worth it to save $120? What about $400?
No, this isn't scientific, but I did try to to compare apples:apples (depart Thursday, return Tuesday, etc). It's a sample of some trips from Dallas to points north. And yes, you're reading this correctly. There's a $120 penalty for having a shorter flight, if you use American Airlines' latest fares from Dallas Love Field (where they're trying to compete with Southwest Airlines).
For what it's worth, American wants $656 for a trip from Dallas to Frankfurt (Germany, not Kentucky). Via New York and London. Yes, 2 stops. Just the way Southwest would do it.
Case in point: you can drive the 200 miles from Kansas City to Wichita in about 3 hours. Is it worth it to save $120? What about $400?
 (thanks to Yahoo! Maps) | from Dallas to ... | miles | drive time | airfare (sale) | airfare (regular) | via Greyhound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita | 363 | 5:45 | $199 | $637 | $69 ($120 RT) | |
| Kansas City | 500 | 7:30 | $79 | $229 | $85 ($147 RT) |
No, this isn't scientific, but I did try to to compare apples:apples (depart Thursday, return Tuesday, etc). It's a sample of some trips from Dallas to points north. And yes, you're reading this correctly. There's a $120 penalty for having a shorter flight, if you use American Airlines' latest fares from Dallas Love Field (where they're trying to compete with Southwest Airlines).
For what it's worth, American wants $656 for a trip from Dallas to Frankfurt (Germany, not Kentucky). Via New York and London. Yes, 2 stops. Just the way Southwest would do it.
Wednesday, March 22
to hell in a handbasket
whatever happened to whitewall tires?
why don't dimebags cost $10 anymore?
why did "crew cuts" go out of style (except in Alabama)?
A few days ago, I was driving around and suddenly (!) noticed how very few tires have whitewalls anymore. When I was growing up (in the 19th Century) people who drove "blackwalls" were frowned upon, since they couldn't afford the oh-so-chic whitewalls. Now, I see an occasional truck with white lettering on the tires ("tyres" if you're a Brit) but only aging Oldsmobiles and Plymouths have whitewalls.
This is obviously yet another sign (besides the continued popularity of Pat Robertson; Rick Perry and Tom DeLay) of why this country's gone to hell in a handbasket (a phrase used by GOPhers when they're talking to Like Minded [White] Folk).
Surely there must be other obvious Handbasket Signs that I no longer notice, now that've become commonplace, I suspect even the phrase itself is a Sign (as some Older Folk still say H-E-double Hockey Stick rather than say The Word, since its mere utterance will condemn them to an eternity of damnation). Er, tarnation.
why don't dimebags cost $10 anymore?
why did "crew cuts" go out of style (except in Alabama)?
A few days ago, I was driving around and suddenly (!) noticed how very few tires have whitewalls anymore. When I was growing up (in the 19th Century) people who drove "blackwalls" were frowned upon, since they couldn't afford the oh-so-chic whitewalls. Now, I see an occasional truck with white lettering on the tires ("tyres" if you're a Brit) but only aging Oldsmobiles and Plymouths have whitewalls.
This is obviously yet another sign (besides the continued popularity of Pat Robertson; Rick Perry and Tom DeLay) of why this country's gone to hell in a handbasket (a phrase used by GOPhers when they're talking to Like Minded [White] Folk).
Surely there must be other obvious Handbasket Signs that I no longer notice, now that've become commonplace, I suspect even the phrase itself is a Sign (as some Older Folk still say H-E-double Hockey Stick rather than say The Word, since its mere utterance will condemn them to an eternity of damnation). Er, tarnation.
Monday, March 20
there's an Outlook behind me, and it's getting smaller and smaller ...
Okay, I did it. I migrated my home email from MS-Outlook Express to Mozilla Thunderbird. And so far, I'm generally a happy camper.
The only downside so far is that Thunderbird didn't even try to migrate my various filters, and there are a lot of them. I bopped over to Bugzilla and saw that it's a known limitation, so (since bugs often take years to be evaluated) I'm adding filters as email hits my inbox. In a couple weeks, that should be done. For now, it's simply an annoyance.
Thunderbird's the email client I used at work most often (on both my PowerBook and a SunRay), so this standardization will allow my atrophying brain cells another less thing to consider as I live out the few remaining years of my life.
In addition to standardizing on one interface, Thunderbird has lots of Extensions so that I can customize it as needed (although historically I haven't gone overboard). It's just nice to know it can be done, unlike Outlook Express which has always been the poor (free) stepchild of MS-Outlook.
The only downside so far is that Thunderbird didn't even try to migrate my various filters, and there are a lot of them. I bopped over to Bugzilla and saw that it's a known limitation, so (since bugs often take years to be evaluated) I'm adding filters as email hits my inbox. In a couple weeks, that should be done. For now, it's simply an annoyance.
Thunderbird's the email client I used at work most often (on both my PowerBook and a SunRay), so this standardization will allow my atrophying brain cells another less thing to consider as I live out the few remaining years of my life.
In addition to standardizing on one interface, Thunderbird has lots of Extensions so that I can customize it as needed (although historically I haven't gone overboard). It's just nice to know it can be done, unlike Outlook Express which has always been the poor (free) stepchild of MS-Outlook.
Sunday, March 19
sleeping easier
I wonder how many people actually backup their home computers? I do a full backup quarterly and incremental backups monthly, but I'm still at risk if the system tanks between those events.
Backup started on 3/19/2006 at 1:18 AM.That said, I suspect I'm way ahead of most users, who either Throw Caution To The Wind and hope their systems don't crash, or simply lack the technical ability to perform a system backup (never mind testing their ability to restore a file, if that need arises). Alas, I feel better know that an extra copy of my data is within reach, even if it is (maximum) 30 days old.
Backup completed on 3/19/2006 at 1:24 AM.
Directories: 142
Files: 2281
Bytes: 405,954,032
Time: 5 minutes and 37 seconds
Saturday, March 18
schlepping and shopping in da rain
Yesterday, I found a location* where I could sign the petition to put Kinky on the ballot, and added my name to the (hopefully 44,999+) others who'd like to see Governor PrettyHair sent back to the farm, where he can't do any more damage.
Then, I moseyed over to MicroCenter in search of a spare battery for my PowerBook (found it) as well as a laptop cable lock (didn't find it, and got a really puzzled look from the sales guy when I asked if they carried them). After about a 5-second pause, he admitted he had no idea what I was talking about. I strolled around the store anyway, and didn't find one. Heap strange. You'd think people would do more to secure their laptops, but I guess not.
I decided to try the nearest office supply place, and I found the Targus Defcon CL (PA410U) which will work nicely. I hope the TSA is used to seeing this lock-and-cable combo on the X-ray machine.
While at Office Depot, I moseyed around and found a laser pointer which will come in handy when I give presentations, and also found some index dividers for the 12 months (Avery 11127). They had many, many packs of dividers from which to choose and it took a couple passes before I spotted the ones I wanted. It's odd that their website page doesn't say anything to indicate the tabs in the 11127 pack are labeled JAN/FEB/MAR etc.
Finally - one thing I did not find was a place that buys/sells PC memory. There was such a place in Addison on Beltline, but it's apparently gone. Due to some upgrades, I'm the proud owner of 6 strips of Orphan RAM and would like to negotiate a trade (!) for two strips of 128 MB DIMMs to max out my Win98SE laptop (Fujitsu E6530). There was a place on Preston (north of LBJ) called Computer Renaissance but they're also out of business. I guess the Used PC Component Business ain't what it used to be.
* Dirty Dawgz - they have four locations in the area .. one is less than 3 miles from my home. They provide a nice place to wash your dogs (I'll have to ask if anyone ever brings their cat in for a bath) and I'll have to take Beta the Wonder Dog there sometime.Today was a good day for running errands -- (shopping) mostly -- because the rain (and the NCAA basketball games) kept most Texans indoors. Judy-Bob and I fed at the usual breakfast dive, but since it was after noon, I opted for the Philly CheeSteak on an onion roll, which was Da Bomb.
Then, I moseyed over to MicroCenter in search of a spare battery for my PowerBook (found it) as well as a laptop cable lock (didn't find it, and got a really puzzled look from the sales guy when I asked if they carried them). After about a 5-second pause, he admitted he had no idea what I was talking about. I strolled around the store anyway, and didn't find one. Heap strange. You'd think people would do more to secure their laptops, but I guess not.
I decided to try the nearest office supply place, and I found the Targus Defcon CL (PA410U) which will work nicely. I hope the TSA is used to seeing this lock-and-cable combo on the X-ray machine.
While at Office Depot, I moseyed around and found a laser pointer which will come in handy when I give presentations, and also found some index dividers for the 12 months (Avery 11127). They had many, many packs of dividers from which to choose and it took a couple passes before I spotted the ones I wanted. It's odd that their website page doesn't say anything to indicate the tabs in the 11127 pack are labeled JAN/FEB/MAR etc.
Finally - one thing I did not find was a place that buys/sells PC memory. There was such a place in Addison on Beltline, but it's apparently gone. Due to some upgrades, I'm the proud owner of 6 strips of Orphan RAM and would like to negotiate a trade (!) for two strips of 128 MB DIMMs to max out my Win98SE laptop (Fujitsu E6530). There was a place on Preston (north of LBJ) called Computer Renaissance but they're also out of business. I guess the Used PC Component Business ain't what it used to be.
Thursday, March 16
when a Supreme Court Justice sh-ts in the woods, will anyone hear it?
Okay, so Georgetown University isn't exactly "in the woods," but ...
Did former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor choose a forum where only one reporter was present, to hide from Tom DeLay and the other members of the CFRP?
After reading an editorial in the Houston Chronicle ("Judicious temperament") I decided to track down the original article. Turns out it was a radio piece by NPR's Nina Totenberg entitled O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts (3:18) Good listening, IMHO.
Related: in case you missed The Memo, DeLay's (obviously moron) constituents elected him as their party primary's candidate, to go onto another term. It's a given that he'll handily beat any Democratic challenger in November. I guess DeLay now knows that he can break any law and the good ole boys of his district will send him back to Washington (perhaps in shackles) for another term.
Did former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor choose a forum where only one reporter was present, to hide from Tom DeLay and the other members of the CFRP?
After reading an editorial in the Houston Chronicle ("Judicious temperament") I decided to track down the original article. Turns out it was a radio piece by NPR's Nina Totenberg entitled O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts (3:18) Good listening, IMHO.
Related: in case you missed The Memo, DeLay's (obviously moron) constituents elected him as their party primary's candidate, to go onto another term. It's a given that he'll handily beat any Democratic challenger in November. I guess DeLay now knows that he can break any law and the good ole boys of his district will send him back to Washington (perhaps in shackles) for another term.
Wednesday, March 15
Wal-Mart: foot, meet mouth
In one side of their mouth:
Wal-Mart's Acres for America program, where they will plant trees and presumably raise bunnies and nurture wild birds.and out the other side of their mouth:
Residents upset over retail plan / Apartments would be razed for development (free signup) says that Wal-Mart (or someone just as evil) is planning to buy this urban oasis and convert it to yet-another megastore.I suspect that, in future years, they'll begin developing on those Acres for America parcels and have to buy new ones. In the middle of a national park. Or atop a cemetery. Someplace where no one will object.
Monday, March 13
de-stressing : distressing!
I was a few days late in reading my RSS feeds, so I didn't Get The Memo that Geoff had been RIF'd after 20+ years with his employer. Ouch! After such a long stint, he may have difficulty adapting. Looking back on my own episode (May 2004) I understand why some people have heart attacks and die soon after retiring: the change in daily pattern ("de-stressing"?) is too severe. Me, I enjoyed my Extended Vacation, but I lacked many pressures that others face.
One of the things I'd forgotten was the excruciating joy involved in porting my phone number to a personal plan. This is all doc'd on blog entries from that era. This time (last week) it wasn't nearly as bad, although I was carrying two phones for several days (the old one for incoming calls, and the new one for outgoing). After about 3 days -- this time -- the port is complate and the world has returning to it's melodic state of euphoria.
I got two curious text messages that are worth mentioning; the first was from my old carrier:
The second TM was the one from my new carrier, advising that the LNP is complete:
Also (curiously) I tried to Forward the Verizon TM to email, but it will only let me forward a TM to another cellphone: weird.
One of the things I'd forgotten was the excruciating joy involved in porting my phone number to a personal plan. This is all doc'd on blog entries from that era. This time (last week) it wasn't nearly as bad, although I was carrying two phones for several days (the old one for incoming calls, and the new one for outgoing). After about 3 days -- this time -- the port is complate and the world has returning to it's melodic state of euphoria.
I got two curious text messages that are worth mentioning; the first was from my old carrier:
5 cent txt messaging to send & receive starts on or after 6/18/06. Even cheaper text messaging buckets coming in June too! Current rates remain until then. Received: 4:56PM 03/07Not being a believer in Conspiracy Theory, I'm sure it was just a coincidence that this arrived moments after they were informed that I was moving to another carrier.
The second TM was the one from my new carrier, advising that the LNP is complete:
Welcome to Verizon Wireless. You can now make and receive calls on America's Best, Most Reliable Wireless Network. See vzw.com for network details. Fri, Mar 10, 8:17pmWhat's amusing to me is that both carriers "announced" the success of the number porting via Text Message and not Voicemail.
Also (curiously) I tried to Forward the Verizon TM to email, but it will only let me forward a TM to another cellphone: weird.
Sunday, March 12
remembering St Patrick Hernandez
I ran the Defragmenter on the Win98SE laptop overnight. I've learned to only do that from Safe Mode, because otherwise it restarts and restarts and restarts and restarts .. you get the idea. I think it's now respectable again, ready to be borrowed as needed. Heck, I'm entering this blog post from it. The Lithium Ion battery won't hold a charge more than 3 minutes, so it must be tethered to a wall socket all the time. Else, I might use it myself.
It's supposed to be 85F and windy today; I should gobutcher prune some of the bushes along the driveway, but only after a leisurely trip to Virgin Megastore to use my free CD coupon. Yesterday was Saint Patty's Day, but you'd never know it around here. I guess there aren't too many Latino-Irish celebrations yet.
Tomorrow is the monthly Bulk Trash Day; Thursday was the first day we could legally put stuff at the curb. Even so, lots of people can't count to 2 (must be lots of blondes here) so there's been trash piled for the past ten days. Lately, the scavengers have been more obvious than prior years .. I've spotted quite a few pickups prowling the streets, slowing down whenever they approach a pile. I think there's a Dallas ordinance prohibiting this, but I'll have to look it up.
It's supposed to be 85F and windy today; I should go
Tomorrow is the monthly Bulk Trash Day; Thursday was the first day we could legally put stuff at the curb. Even so, lots of people can't count to 2 (must be lots of blondes here) so there's been trash piled for the past ten days. Lately, the scavengers have been more obvious than prior years .. I've spotted quite a few pickups prowling the streets, slowing down whenever they approach a pile. I think there's a Dallas ordinance prohibiting this, but I'll have to look it up.
Deep Thought: is it okay to pepper spray a homeless guy who wants my old refrigerator to live in?Soon after moving to Dallas, the water heater failed (in the house we were leasing) and The Repair Guy said we should just leave the old one at the curb. Within a few hours, there was a knock at the door:
"Yew want that water heater? It'd make a damn fine smoker!"said the Texan. Not knowing what a smoker was at the time (hint: it's what Dallas Cowboy fans do before a game), I agreed. Heck, one less water heater sitting on the curb, and if he wanted to make moonshine with it, I'd have been fine with that, too.
Saturday, March 11
laptop: back from the dead
I have possession of an old laptop: a Fujitsu E6530. It's an Intel Pentium III 500 MHz -- a real museum piece. A few weeks ago, a co-worker needed to borrow it while hers was in the shop, and I felt bad about the condition of the OS; I decided to freshen this box when she returned it. The copy of Win98SE has been in use for many years and is highly suspect.
The maximum RAM on a a Fujitsu E6530 is 256 MB; Settings/Control Panel/System confirmed that 192 MB is installed. The disc capacity is 8.41 GB. I tried to install Linux on it once, and there wasn't enough RAM/disc (although some versions may fit, the one I used did not).
1. Press F12 and boot from the Recovery CD. This places a fresh copy (as of the time that CD was created) of Windows 98SE on the laptop. Reboot (#1) and continue.
2. Add a Wireless-G card (ConnectGear's WE340G has Win98SE support). It installed easily, works great. Reboot #2
3. Attempt Windows Update. Start Internet Explorer [MS-IE] v5 and select Tools/Windows Update. When I try "Scan for updates" I get an error, and a popup asks if I'd like to email that info to Microsoft. Sure, why not? I configure Outlook Express (v5) and email the error. Meanwhile (I don't really expect them to answer) I decided to try another tactic: update MS-IE and see if the new version will allow Windows Update to start.
4. Update to MS-IE v6. This includes several new versions of the Win98SE applications. Reboot #3
5. Windows Update now works! There are 21 "Critical Updates and Service Packs" and 44 Recommended Updates. The 18 MB of Critical Updates takes 3 minutes to download. Reboot #4
6. There's a new "Connect to the Internet" icon on the desktop; since Internet access was already working, I ignore it. I've gotten into the habit of creating a text document called "ChangeControl" on the desktop, to record what software/hardware I load. Pressing [F5] in a Notepad window gives the time. The format's simple:
8. Load MS-IE 6. I'm tiring of seeing the Microsoft Network home page. Tools/Windows Update/Scan for Recommended Updates (43 remain in the "Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition" category). I quickly scan for any more * (indicating "must be installed separately" or "installation may include additional items (prerequisites)". Many of them (34) are in the "Multi-Language Features" section and provide support for Arabic; Chinese; Czech; Danish; Dutch; Finnish; French; German; Greek; Hebrew; Hungarian; Italian; Japanese; Korean; Norwegian; Pan-European; Polish; Portuguese; Russian; Spanish; Swedish; Thai; Turkish and Vietnamese. It appears that 9 Recommended Updates need to be installed, and only one ("Windows Media Player 9 Series") wants to be installed separately: 13.3 MB and less than a minute to download. No reboot!
9. In the Windows Update page on microsoft.com a new "Critical Updates and Service Packs" item has appeared: "Security Update for DirectX (KB904706)". I install that separately (no reboot) and then install another 6 Recommended Updates totaling 24.5 MB (3 minute download). Curiously, "Download time remaining" has stopped updating, but the download proceeds, followed by lots of disc I/O as they are installed. Reboot #6
10. 36 Recommended Updates remain, but 3 additional "Critical Updates and Service Packs" items have appeared: "Security Update for Windows Media Player 9 for Windows 98 and Windows ME"; "Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool" and "Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1". None have asterisks. Total: 3 = 12.3 MB, 1 minute. Installation failed, so I try installing them one by one, but that also failed. I'll try installing the 2 remaining "Recommended Updates" (Euro Conversion Tool and "Mapped Drives Shutdown Update*") .. that worked, but then prompted for Reboot #7
11. Those 3 additional "Critical Updates and Service Packs" items remain. Windows Update downloads them, then a popup appears: "Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool" asks if I'd like to "learn more about a security vulnerability". Sure .. why not? It takes me to "How to update your computer with the JPEG processing (GDI+) security update" page. While I'm reading that, another popup says that another reboot is needed. I decided to [Cancel] that and read the GDI+ suggestions, which scanned the disc for software that needs updating ("Check for affected imaging software"). Recall that this is an out-of-the-box installation of fresh software. The tool failed with the message "We are sorry, but the tool did not work properly on your computer. Please try again later." I bookmark that page, if I ever hope to find it again. Reboot #8
12. A new icon appears on the desktop: "Windows Media Player" (never mind that there's another one in the taskbar). There are duplicates of the Internet Explorer and Outlook Express icons already. Icon proliferation is one of the greatest problems of the modern world. Now, Windows Update shows no Critical Updates, and there are no Recommended Updates! Only the GDI+ issue is unresolved. I scan again, and it fails again. Well, at least I gave it The Old College Try.
13. Some things are not available with Windows 98SE, including anti-virus and anti-spyware. I install Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4 for anti-spyware and AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.1.375. The anti-virus software installation meant that a restart is needed. Reboot #9
14 The OSpatching (oops .. Microsoft never uses "the P word") Updating took about 2 hours. Final touch: update the "ChangeControl" document so I'll know what was done.
I guess I should run Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter before putting it to bed for the night. Total disc used: 1.26 GB with 7.13 GB free. Woo hoo.
Tomorrow, I'll install StarOffice 8; Adobe Reader 6.0.1 (the latest for Win98SE); Atomic Clock Sync; Mozilla Firefox/Thunderbird and whatever else I need to make this laptop productive.
The maximum RAM on a a Fujitsu E6530 is 256 MB; Settings/Control Panel/System confirmed that 192 MB is installed. The disc capacity is 8.41 GB. I tried to install Linux on it once, and there wasn't enough RAM/disc (although some versions may fit, the one I used did not).
1. Press F12 and boot from the Recovery CD. This places a fresh copy (as of the time that CD was created) of Windows 98SE on the laptop. Reboot (#1) and continue.
2. Add a Wireless-G card (ConnectGear's WE340G has Win98SE support). It installed easily, works great. Reboot #2
3. Attempt Windows Update. Start Internet Explorer [MS-IE] v5 and select Tools/Windows Update. When I try "Scan for updates" I get an error, and a popup asks if I'd like to email that info to Microsoft. Sure, why not? I configure Outlook Express (v5) and email the error. Meanwhile (I don't really expect them to answer) I decided to try another tactic: update MS-IE and see if the new version will allow Windows Update to start.
4. Update to MS-IE v6. This includes several new versions of the Win98SE applications. Reboot #3
5. Windows Update now works! There are 21 "Critical Updates and Service Packs" and 44 Recommended Updates. The 18 MB of Critical Updates takes 3 minutes to download. Reboot #4
6. There's a new "Connect to the Internet" icon on the desktop; since Internet access was already working, I ignore it. I've gotten into the habit of creating a text document called "ChangeControl" on the desktop, to record what software/hardware I load. Pressing [F5] in a Notepad window gives the time. The format's simple:
2:42 PM 3/11/06 updated MS-IE to 6.0.2800.11067. Start MS-IE 6 and do Tools/Windows Update to inspect the 44 Recommended Updates. The first is "DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime*" where the * indicates "Must be installed separately from other updates". After a 90-second download, reboot #5
updated Outlook Express to 6.0.2800.1106
etc.
8. Load MS-IE 6. I'm tiring of seeing the Microsoft Network home page. Tools/Windows Update/Scan for Recommended Updates (43 remain in the "Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition" category). I quickly scan for any more * (indicating "must be installed separately" or "installation may include additional items (prerequisites)". Many of them (34) are in the "Multi-Language Features" section and provide support for Arabic; Chinese; Czech; Danish; Dutch; Finnish; French; German; Greek; Hebrew; Hungarian; Italian; Japanese; Korean; Norwegian; Pan-European; Polish; Portuguese; Russian; Spanish; Swedish; Thai; Turkish and Vietnamese. It appears that 9 Recommended Updates need to be installed, and only one ("Windows Media Player 9 Series") wants to be installed separately: 13.3 MB and less than a minute to download. No reboot!
9. In the Windows Update page on microsoft.com a new "Critical Updates and Service Packs" item has appeared: "Security Update for DirectX (KB904706)". I install that separately (no reboot) and then install another 6 Recommended Updates totaling 24.5 MB (3 minute download). Curiously, "Download time remaining" has stopped updating, but the download proceeds, followed by lots of disc I/O as they are installed. Reboot #6
10. 36 Recommended Updates remain, but 3 additional "Critical Updates and Service Packs" items have appeared: "Security Update for Windows Media Player 9 for Windows 98 and Windows ME"; "Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool" and "Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1". None have asterisks. Total: 3 = 12.3 MB, 1 minute. Installation failed, so I try installing them one by one, but that also failed. I'll try installing the 2 remaining "Recommended Updates" (Euro Conversion Tool and "Mapped Drives Shutdown Update*") .. that worked, but then prompted for Reboot #7
11. Those 3 additional "Critical Updates and Service Packs" items remain. Windows Update downloads them, then a popup appears: "Microsoft GDI+ Detection Tool" asks if I'd like to "learn more about a security vulnerability". Sure .. why not? It takes me to "How to update your computer with the JPEG processing (GDI+) security update" page. While I'm reading that, another popup says that another reboot is needed. I decided to [Cancel] that and read the GDI+ suggestions, which scanned the disc for software that needs updating ("Check for affected imaging software"). Recall that this is an out-of-the-box installation of fresh software. The tool failed with the message "We are sorry, but the tool did not work properly on your computer. Please try again later." I bookmark that page, if I ever hope to find it again. Reboot #8
12. A new icon appears on the desktop: "Windows Media Player" (never mind that there's another one in the taskbar). There are duplicates of the Internet Explorer and Outlook Express icons already. Icon proliferation is one of the greatest problems of the modern world. Now, Windows Update shows no Critical Updates, and there are no Recommended Updates! Only the GDI+ issue is unresolved. I scan again, and it fails again. Well, at least I gave it The Old College Try.
13. Some things are not available with Windows 98SE, including anti-virus and anti-spyware. I install Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4 for anti-spyware and AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 7.1.375. The anti-virus software installation meant that a restart is needed. Reboot #9
14 The OS
I guess I should run Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter before putting it to bed for the night. Total disc used: 1.26 GB with 7.13 GB free. Woo hoo.
Tomorrow, I'll install StarOffice 8; Adobe Reader 6.0.1 (the latest for Win98SE); Atomic Clock Sync; Mozilla Firefox/Thunderbird and whatever else I need to make this laptop productive.
mind boggle in Plano
HayJax bailed on us Friday night, so Jill-Bob and I ended up at The End Zone in Plano, which is roughly equidistant. The End Zone's a typical smoke-filled neighborhood sports bar complete with pool tables, dartboards, an under-used mini-buffet and a mysterious Back Room. An odd blue canopy juts into the strip-mall parking lot.
Jill has decided to write a book entitled "The Cheese Fries of America" and (as part of the research) sampled the Cheddar Fries (you can read a review on her blog Real Soon Now). I had a Dickweed Burger, named after the world-famous Dickweed Motorcycle Club, which gathers there Thursday night. The waitress barely batted an eye when she asked for my order. "I feel like a Dickweed," I said. She didn't ask how I wanted it cooked. I guess it only comes one way: medium. Also: pity she's only 22.
After viewing their website, JB noted:
Jill has decided to write a book entitled "The Cheese Fries of America" and (as part of the research) sampled the Cheddar Fries (you can read a review on her blog Real Soon Now). I had a Dickweed Burger, named after the world-famous Dickweed Motorcycle Club, which gathers there Thursday night. The waitress barely batted an eye when she asked for my order. "I feel like a Dickweed," I said. She didn't ask how I wanted it cooked. I guess it only comes one way: medium. Also: pity she's only 22.
After viewing their website, JB noted:
"There's KARAOKE on Tuesday and Friday nights for all you singers out there."Pity we didn't hang around that long. The thought of Gene-Bob and Jill-Bob singing "Feelings" to a karaoke machine is just too mind-boggling ...
memories of Amber ...
I wonder if I'll ever look back on this day, and find myself missing Amber?
Amber was the automated voice I'd talk to when I called Virgin Mobile for support. She and I developed a bond over the past 20 months or so, when I began using their prepaid service. I'll miss Topping Up (buying more minutes). I'll miss my ringtong ("Itchycoo Park" by The Small Faces).
When it's closed, the Motorola V325 is a bit smaller than the Kyocera KE433 (Rave 7), but the time is always visible, so that's a plus. Why bother carrying a watch?
However, it's a clamshell design, so when it's open, the Motorola's larger. The connector is the same mini-USB that the Razr uses, so potentially there's a way to backup the V325's Address Book (unlike the Kyocera). It's also color, and yes .. it has a camera and a speakerphone and other toys the Kyocera lacked. I tried to find my former ringtone, but Verizon Wireless never heard of The Small Faces, or even Alpha Blondy for that matter. I guess I'll have to find another obscure ringtone to differentiate my ring from everyone else in the room.
The thing I may miss most about my old friend? The Flashlight:
Amber was the automated voice I'd talk to when I called Virgin Mobile for support. She and I developed a bond over the past 20 months or so, when I began using their prepaid service. I'll miss Topping Up (buying more minutes). I'll miss my ringtong ("Itchycoo Park" by The Small Faces).
When it's closed, the Motorola V325 is a bit smaller than the Kyocera KE433 (Rave 7), but the time is always visible, so that's a plus. Why bother carrying a watch?
However, it's a clamshell design, so when it's open, the Motorola's larger. The connector is the same mini-USB that the Razr uses, so potentially there's a way to backup the V325's Address Book (unlike the Kyocera). It's also color, and yes .. it has a camera and a speakerphone and other toys the Kyocera lacked. I tried to find my former ringtone, but Verizon Wireless never heard of The Small Faces, or even Alpha Blondy for that matter. I guess I'll have to find another obscure ringtone to differentiate my ring from everyone else in the room.
The thing I may miss most about my old friend? The Flashlight:
Friday, March 10
the Kinkster comes to town ...
I wonder if Kinky will wear green, when he's the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade?
spotted on his website:
Thursday, March 9
still sneezing after all these years
I must be getting used to the allergens quickly. I was driving around Dallas with the sunroof open, and whatever's floating around (looks like the same stuff from earlier in the week) didn't bother me today. Hmmm.
spotted at a building in Santa Clara, California:
What's that? Did I update the Sundry on Thursday blog for your web surfing pleasure? You bet! How hard can it be?
Today's allergy levels for DALLAS, TX: Thursday - 11.1/High(thanks to pollen.com for the daily update)
Today's predominant pollen: Cedar/Juniper, Oak and Hackberry
spotted at a building in Santa Clara, California:
What's that? Did I update the Sundry on Thursday blog for your web surfing pleasure? You bet! How hard can it be?
Tuesday, March 7
ah-choo!
One of the joys of living in Dallas is dealing with allergies.
"I didn't used to have them until I moved here"is a common overhearance. Yesterday, I woke to a massive headache (pretty rare for me). A couple hours later, I was driving the big, white porcelain bus* and not much of a happy camper. I've never been tested for allergies; I suspect most people are allergic to something.
One of my former co-workers is allergic to everything but water and noodles; go figure. Eventually, the meds (Tylenol) kicked in and I was able to function like a normal Human (more or less) and today's not nearly as bad. I don't normally stock allergy medicine; in the past the OTC stuff I've bought has expired before I used more than one or two tablets. Guess I should see an allergist; I'm curious what they'll tell me.
* vomiting
Unrelated: I was at a meeting last night at someone's home, and the phone rang 3 times in one hour. Each time it was the Republican Dialing Machine, whose sole purpose in life is to annoy The Living Shi'ite out of us. I stopped counting when I got more than 2 dozen calls in 3 days. The subject swiveled to Rick Perry (a/k/a Governor PrettyHair) and I was shocked to hear the three others agree that he's a mental vacuum. Two of us (at least) are planning to sit out today's primary election, so that we can sign Kinky Friedman's petition. The only word that comes to mind: WOW.
Sunday, March 5
the sound of silence
so far, the phone's rang twice today. the first was yet-another political call, imploring me to vote on Tuesday in the Republican primary. I told them I was "saving myself for Kinky" and the (apparently out of state) caller was perplexed. rather than educate him, I simply hung up.
the 2nd call was from Judy-Bob, reminding me of the Oscars tonight. she called as I was in the midst of doing a cursory sort of my 2005 paperwork; what does my CPA want to see? what other pieces of paper can I not live without? what do I want to throw away - and does it have my social or any current account information (if so, shred it). easily 90% of my 2005 paperwork is now in the recycle bin.
the sheer amount of paper here at home is starting to overwhelm me. it's time for spring cleaning, and I'm hoping the recycler gets the bulk of it. since I made a pact with myself (years ago) to aspire to a minimalist lifestyle, I've grown accustomed to mostly barren walls, and the intentional absence of curios here, there and everywhere. I suspect the scientific word for this is Crap .. I'd prefer it all just go away.
honestly, most people wouldn't even notice this. I've seen the inside of others' homes, and mine looks like the Sahara Desert in comparison. but, it's annoying me so it has to be pared down. quickly.
now, i sat down in front of the LCD and read some more of Nathalie's blog. in one entry, she simply noted the sounds heard on the train platform. this led me to sit back and think of the sounds I'm hearing on a Sunday afternoon-evening:
1- a clock ticking
2- my flip-flap
3- the fans inside the computers
4- Maxtor Shared Storage - it makes a unique sound prior to the hard disc spinning up
5- an occasional car on the street
6- the ceiling fan (if I listen carefully)
7- my fingers pressing the keys to create this blog entry
yes, it's quiet here. there's no sound of weather, or birds .. their chirps aren't enough to penetrate the house exterior (although the cars with their basslike exhausts sometimes do). the cats are asleep. and that's about it. the sounds of silence.
the 2nd call was from Judy-Bob, reminding me of the Oscars tonight. she called as I was in the midst of doing a cursory sort of my 2005 paperwork; what does my CPA want to see? what other pieces of paper can I not live without? what do I want to throw away - and does it have my social or any current account information (if so, shred it). easily 90% of my 2005 paperwork is now in the recycle bin.
the sheer amount of paper here at home is starting to overwhelm me. it's time for spring cleaning, and I'm hoping the recycler gets the bulk of it. since I made a pact with myself (years ago) to aspire to a minimalist lifestyle, I've grown accustomed to mostly barren walls, and the intentional absence of curios here, there and everywhere. I suspect the scientific word for this is Crap .. I'd prefer it all just go away.
honestly, most people wouldn't even notice this. I've seen the inside of others' homes, and mine looks like the Sahara Desert in comparison. but, it's annoying me so it has to be pared down. quickly.
now, i sat down in front of the LCD and read some more of Nathalie's blog. in one entry, she simply noted the sounds heard on the train platform. this led me to sit back and think of the sounds I'm hearing on a Sunday afternoon-evening:
1- a clock ticking
2- my flip-flap
3- the fans inside the computers
4- Maxtor Shared Storage - it makes a unique sound prior to the hard disc spinning up
5- an occasional car on the street
6- the ceiling fan (if I listen carefully)
7- my fingers pressing the keys to create this blog entry
yes, it's quiet here. there's no sound of weather, or birds .. their chirps aren't enough to penetrate the house exterior (although the cars with their basslike exhausts sometimes do). the cats are asleep. and that's about it. the sounds of silence.
Thursday, March 2
fine dining at 32,000 feet
The training didn't end at 4pm as planned; it was still going when I left at 5:15 (to ensure I was on the last flight of the day - 6:45pm, arriving at midnight). Not only did I not have time to refuel the car (opting for $5/gallon Budget Rent-a-car gas) but there wasn't time to grab a bite, either. The only food I'd had all day was a rushed sandwich with Scott .. just off the Santa Clara campus.
So, I found myself high above Las Vegas (about 10pm), looking at my $4 "snack box" contents (distributed by Oakfield Farms*):
BTW, yes .. I updated Sundry on Thursday .. have a crack at it?
So, I found myself high above Las Vegas (about 10pm), looking at my $4 "snack box" contents (distributed by Oakfield Farms*):
- Ocean Spray's strawberry-flavored craisins (0.9 oz - 90 calories)
- Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish (0.75 oz - 100 cals)
- O'Briens beef summer sausage (1.125 oz - ? cals)
- Jacob's Cream Crackers (0.56 oz - ? cals)
- Oakfield Farms' Le Petit Fromage (faux cheese) (0.75 oz - ? cals)
- Emerald mixed nuts (1 oz - 170 cals)
- Nabisco Lorna Doone cookies (1 oz - 140 cals)
* Harvey Alpert & Company (d/b/a Oakfield Farms) isn't much of a farm; their HQ appears to be either near DFW Airport in Grapevine, TX or about a mile south of the UCLA campus .. not exactly rural.Unrelated: Mary (looking rested, as she starts her new job) and I feasted on Free Range Salmon at California Café (Los Gatos) Tuesday night. Sadly, Tiki wasn't allowed inside.
BTW, yes .. I updated Sundry on Thursday .. have a crack at it?
Wednesday, March 1
The Scopes Monkey Trial
During Monday night's DFW-SJC flight, I watched the DVD of Inherit the Wind (1960) on my PowerBook, and couldn't stop thinking about the parallels with the IDiots who think Intelligent Design is rational. If it was up to these morons, they'd have all copies of this DVD burned, ala Fahrenheit 451.
There's a bio of William Jennings Bryan (represented in the movie as "Matthew Brady") which says
Here are the major characters in the film, and the real people they represented:
Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) .. portraying Clarence Darrow
Matthew Brady (Fredric March) .. portraying William Jennings Bryan
Bertram T. Cates (Dick York) .. portraying John Thomas Scopes
It was hard to watch:
There's a bio of William Jennings Bryan (represented in the movie as "Matthew Brady") which says
In 1925, Bryan led the prosecution of John T. Scopes, a young biology teacher charged with breaking Tennessee law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. Squaring off against noted defense attorney Clarence Darrow, Bryan attempted in vain to defend his literal interpretation of the bible under Darrow's wilting cross examination. Humiliated and weakened by the stress of the trial, Bryan died one week after its conclusion.... while in the movie, "Matthew Brady" (portrayed as a bombastic oaf who'd be quite comfortable articulating Intelligent Design in 2005) dies in the courtroom immediately after the trial is concluded .. chalk it up to poetic license (or The Radical Right's perceived Hollywood Agenda).
Here are the major characters in the film, and the real people they represented:
Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) .. portraying Clarence Darrow
Matthew Brady (Fredric March) .. portraying William Jennings Bryan
Bertram T. Cates (Dick York) .. portraying John Thomas Scopes
It was hard to watch:
- the judge (Harry Morgan) and not think of Colonel Sherman Potter of M*A*S*H (TV series);
- the defendant (Dick York) and not think of Darrin Stevens of Bewitched;
- the reporter (Gene Kelley) and not think of Singing In the Rain.
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