Looks More Like a Puma

Dec
20
2008

Underway on Wordpress Power

halo_wordpress
I created this blog on a whim, and for that Blogger is perfect because it’s fast and dirty. Now that I’m pretty sure this is more than a passing fancy, I’ve made the leap to Wordpress so I can do more stuff. Naturally moving all my old posts over was ugly (wrote a script to parse the old rss.xml and make database insertions) so their formatting is all kinds of screwed up. Some of it I’ll fix, and some of it I’ll sweep under the rug.

While I was at it, I went ahead and spruced the place up a bit for Christmas, so… Happy Christmas.

Written by RJC in: More Like a Puma |

Dec
17
2008

Classic Trombonium: 12-14-2005

If you read this blog regularly (admittedly the odds are about the same as me getting run over by a snowmobile…in Georgia), you may recall me introducing what I intended to be a regular entry for this blog, and that is Classic Trombonium in which I reprint an old entry from the Xanga blog I kept when I was a freshmen. Regardless, here’s another one that’s somewhat topical due to the date. Don’t expect me to ignore this blog for a month, though. The internet’s not that lucky.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

On the day of GoingHome, my true love gave to me…

Well, we’ve had one fine semester of superior blogging. Now it’s Christmas Break. I am going home. I will not be on Xanga for one solid month. I will not be on Facebook either. The same goes for you. Get off the stinkin’ computer. Spend time with your family (yes, they’re the strangers on the couch in the living room).

One other administrative detail: the Pirate rave/polka is gone. You can all uncover your ears, now. I’ve had my fun. Let this also serve as a gesture of goodwill to others with Blogs of Mass Sonicification. We can all lay down our music in peace and make the world free of obnoxious singing webpages. I do try to be a good example.

Regards,

The fish formerly known as,

-Rick

(No, that’s not my real signature. Don’t try to print it off and steal my identity. It won’t work.)

Written by RJC in: Classic Trombonium |

Dec
16
2008

Innovation

Caption on a billboard:

Introducing the World’s First Touch-Screen Blackberry

Woah, that’s pretty impressive, RIM. You’ve made the first touch-screen phone made by you. Innovative…

It actually reminds me of a phrase that’s become a modern cliche: “First African-American/Hispanic/Asian/Female/Icelandic/Whatever person to do X.” Don’t get me wrong, I believe in celebrating legitimate accomplishments, but usually when I hear this phrase it’s just baloney.

Written by RJC in: Other |

Dec
13
2008

Things I like about Linux (Ubuntu)

Package Manager - is the nicest way to get software I’ve ever worked with. If you’re looking for freeware, whether it’s a video editor or a ruby interpreter, you can find it and install neatly within minutes. Updates to the OS and all the software is integrated through the package manager so I automatically get security fixes for Ubuntu and new versions of my IM client all through the same helpful interface.

Geek Friendly - as in, an operating system that helps me do stuff rather than trying to continuously throw up road blocks. It’s nice to have an OS that doesn’t do its best to bury the terminal and actually comes with a C compiler installed.

Virus Software - I don’t use any. Whoop.

Community - is friendly and helpful. Ubuntu has it’s share of problems, but its community of users and (often emphatic) fans is a pretty good resource for solving problems.

Well this wraps up my little series about operating systems. If I haven’t bored you yet, go on over to computerworld.com for the OS Smackdown.

Written by RJC in: Technology |

Dec
01
2008

Things I like about Windows

This post is the third in a series about Operating Systems which I began with Things I hate about Linux and continued with Things I hate about Windows. Those posts might have left you thinking I hate everything, which isn’t entirely true. Even Windows has a (short) list of things to recommend it.

Simplicity - is why even my dog can use a Windows computer. There needs to be a computer for those people whose only interest in a computer is checking email and looking at pictures. There needs to be an operating system that treats its users like infants because, let’s face it, some users need all the help they can get. Windows is that operating system.

Standards - do have value. It’s nice for users and third party vendors to know that Windows is always the same everywhere you go. Users have a familiar interface that looks the same on their computer at home, their computer at work, and the computer in the public library. Writers of software and makers of hardware can be assured that the Windows they have on their test machines is the same Windows that users have which simplifies compatibility.

Office 2007 - is the best Office suite there is. I really have to hand it to Microsoft on this one. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are pretty stinkin’ good programs, and I have yet to see an imitator that duplicates the quality of these essentials.

BSOD - is just plain classic. The world would be a sadder place without these pictures to brighten our day: