Thursday, March 24, 2011

Alrighty then

I had one of those moments of 'well now, that's odd' yesterday on the drive home. It is getting close to the time when I need an oil change, and I started thinking about how long I have had my car. As of April 9th, I will be celebrating my 3rd anniversary, and nearly 51000 miles later I am still pleased with it.

It's just the 51k thing that surprised me. But running the numbers, it does add up. I average between 300-315 miles per tank (15.3 gallon), with an average fill up between 10.5-12 gallons.

So, 156 weeks x 300 miles = 46800 miles.

I didn't think I would quite be at that high a number yet, but I am. Guess it really does add up when you aren't thinking about it.

And I guess it is time for another oil change soon.

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Sunday, March 06, 2011

Fun

Finally some warm weather and finally the snow is melting. The bad news is a pair of chickadees thought the siding above a window was fun to play with.

Fortunately they seemed to scare off easily but the damage was done.  Trip to the hardware store to get get wood filler and hope like hell the rain would hold off. And luck was with me today, so that was nice.

Otherwise a busy weekend. Changes for me coming this week. Woo.

And with that click, time for bed. 

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Thursday, February 03, 2011

Android test

This is a test of the android app.

Yay android!

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Monday, April 26, 2010

zap...zaaaap.....zaaaaap....

it's nice when one has power. in this case, i'm talking electricity, not the power that one wields when they are above someone else.

last weekend NStar (boo...hiss) cut the power (what do you mean they cut the power? they're animals man!) to our building (actually, it was much like that scene in aliens). the entire place was dark. so, i had the dubious honor of shutting down all of the servers in my care that reside in our building and prepare our phones as best i could.

the good news was that power was restored ~2 hours ahead of schedule, and reportedly the people doing the work were very pleased with the outcome. they were basically checking all the substations in the building, cleaning them and making repairs that i guess had been pushed off for far too long (shocking i know, pun intended).

fortunately, the only real casualties was a server that doesn't want to boot (will deal with that today) and the HVAC in the server room. we've had issues with the thermostat for some time, and this just made it worse. for a while, it was over 80 degrees (usually ~68) so things were ok, but quite toasty and we were able to get the HVAC people in to look at it. that faulty thermostat will need to be replaced (again) immediately, but for the most part things went well.

of course all the planning ahead we did (from the I.S. standpoint) paid off and while a few things didn't go as planned, i can blame other people as my piece was pretty solid.

glad the mess is over and that we were able to weather this storm. hopefully this won't happen for quite some time. and i was able to put some stuff in place on the phone side to assist in our ever growing (originally typed groaning...oops) and changing disaster plan so the benefits look to (in the long term) be good.





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Monday, April 19, 2010

*tap* *tap*

this thing on?

well, i've left this alone for pretty much an entire year now, favoring the micro-blog stylings for the attention deficit disorder generation known as twitter (see feed on the right side)

i've started thinking that i'll resurrect this as a longer form (duh) place to brain dump as while i don't mind the periodic dump of whatever brain fart i have on twitter, there are times when i'd like to have a longer forum to expound on whatever that brain fart is.

i realize that very few people read this, fewer still that may actually know me, and fewer still that may actually care about what i have to say, but that's just fine with me. i'll continue to use twitter (altho i'll prolly effectively shut other the few other blogs down and just use this)

so, in a quick and dirty snapshot of my life, i bought a house, am getting married (or am i?), still have a job and for all that i may complain about some things being boring, my life is actually busy as all hell these days so it's that wonderful concept of so many things to do, so little time. those words are becoming an absolute truth in my life these days, and it won't be long before they really are an absolute.

in the meantime between the periodic brain dump, see my daily pictures and see what amuses/interests me on a daily basis (clicky-clicky on the twitter feed is easiest, or if you are a friend on facebook, you've probably seen them). not whoring anything, but it's something that i am finding interesting and periodically challenging so it's been enjoyable.


oh, and i am officially going to be an uncle.

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Machine footage from Saturday night

some quick footage shot in front of the stage, somewhat shaky but pretty cool.

kudos to Magenta for this (and other) Machine footage.

Celestial Voices
When the Tigers Broke Free
High Hopes

{unsolicited plug}
if you get a chance to see The Machine, it is well worth it. ticket prices have always been reasonable ($17.50 for 2 1/2 hours of music) so you get a ton of bang for your buck. clicky click for The Machine tour dates
{/unsolicited plug}


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Sunday, April 26, 2009

a fun evening with The Machine

last night M&i headed to Patriot Place for dinner and a show and it was a lot of fun. had dinner at Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro which was ok, but overpriced. kind of a tapas idea to dining, but slightly larger portions with a larger price. they do have wine flights which is nice as you can try 3 different wines within a style.

after dinner, we wandered briefly before heading down to the show. after some looking around, we managed to find a pair of seats on the floor where we stayed seated for the first set and part of the second set. M didn't want to stand for the entire show and i was there more for the music so i didn't mind.

very good show (better than the last time i saw them) with a pretty good setlist. was hoping they'd play Childhood's End, but they played it the night before i discovered this morning, which would explain its absence. oh well. highlights were Celestial Voices (which had me wonder if we'd get Dark Side of the Moon, but realized they didn't play On The Run between Breathe/Time so they wouldn't), Matilda Mother and When The Tigers Broke Free (chillingly beautiful).

we did get nearly all of Wish You Were Here (missing Shine On 1-5), strong Comfy Numb to end the first set. Brick 2 and Wish You Were Here were both big sing alongs. all in all it was a very strong performance by the band, and they looked like they were having a good time. the crowd was pretty good, altho near us during the 2nd set was a silicone barbie (M: "she looks like she has pomelos on her chest") and friends who were shitfaced and seemed to get great glee taking drunken pictures of each other. (no flash photography please) unfortunately security didn't escort them out, but fortunately at least one of them lost it in the ladies room. and what a surprise, when the others heard that, they didn't do anything other than start taking more pictures.

drunk women aside, we both had a good time. hopefully they will be back soon.

The Machine
4/25/09
Showcase Live
Foxboro, MA

Set 1: (~820p - 920p)
Welcome To the Machine
Sorrow
Speak To Me
Breathe
Time/Breathe (Reprise)
Celestial Voices
Signs Of Life
Learning To Fly
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Matilda Mother
Comfortably Numb

Set 2: (~950p - 1105p)
Pigs On the Wing (Part 1)
Dogs
When the Tigers Broke Free
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In the Wall (Part 2)
High Hopes
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-8)
Wish You Were Here
Astronomy Domine
Have A Cigar

Encore: (~1106p - 1115p)
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse


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Thursday, April 02, 2009

Thursday, March 26, 2009

and again....

the other day i told you the tale of Poorly Educated Dumb Fuck. well, tonight, THEY CALLED BACK!

i got all excited as i grabbed a piece of paper and a pen as i was going to be the uber-friendly person to see just how much information i got get out of them.

and dammit, wouldn't you know. i couldn't get more than a SINGLE question out.

Another Poorly Educated Dumb Fuck: Hello? This is client services.

me: {uber-chipper mode} HI! What company is this? {/uber-chipper mode}

Another Poorly Educated Dumb Fuck: *CLICK*

me: {rejected & dejected mode} dammit {/rejected & dejected mode}

part of me is pleased that i managed to get Another Poorly Educated Dumb Fuck off the phone with a single question (an improvement over last time where i repeated the same question, technically a single question, but it took two pitches). but part of me was looking forward to stringing Another Poorly Educated Dumb Fuck along. i guess i'll have to take the concerned and frightened tact next time.


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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

you IDIOTS

this morning NRP had a quick blurb on how 3 families from MA were heading to new york today to ask a judge to declassify documents related to the security at logan airport on 9/11, but the government is citing national security (blanket) as why they don't want to. any time that i hear someone blaming security at logan airport relating to 9/11, i get annoyed.

first, like many people, especially in the northeast, the events of 9/11 affected me deeply. but when details started coming out about how the events unfolded, everyone seems to forget one SIGNIFICANT detail. not all of the fucktards who were responsible for flying the planes into the towers started their day in boston.

at least 2 of the fucktards flew out of the airport in portland maine. they took a commuter flight from portland to boston. they then met up with the other fucktards who parked a car at logan airport and then boarded one of the two flights that ultimately took the towers down.

has it ever occured to ANYONE (aside from me thus prompting my annoyance) that the two fucktards who started in PORTLAND were the ones who carried the box cutters through security? the airport in portland is a small airport compared to logan, and the footage of the fucktards walking through security is everywhere. they BREEZED through security at a SMALL airport.

now, assuming that they breezed through security in portland, carrying the box cutters, they boarded their flight which landed in boston. when you are flying a multi-airport flight, once you have landed at the next airport (in this case logan), you DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH SECURITY. the assumption is that you were screened at your originating airport and anything questionable would have been stopped there.

THEREFORE, the fucktards originating in portland, breezing through security, carrying box cutters NEVER WENT THROUGH SECURITY IN BOSTON. how is this a failure of security at logan? based on my own experiences flying before the events of 9/11, security in logan was MUCH more restrictive than it was when i flew out of an airport that is probably comparible in size to portland. and do you know what? i've carried a leatherman type multitool on my belt for years. and i ALWAYS carried it through security when flying. i never packed it, even when i flew to and from ENGLAND.

and guess what? when i flew to atlanta on 9/9 (two days before the events of 9/11), i carried my leatherman through security at logan airport and they didn't say anything. as i had in the past, i took it out, placed it in the little plastic basket to be x-rayed, stepped through the metal detectors, retrieved my bag and plastic basket which contained my leatherman and headed towards the gate to wait for my flight.

i have done this in boston, new york, atlanta, chicago, washington DC, newburgh, memphis, charleston, albany, syracuse, manchester and london. and the only time i was stopped was when i had it in my backpack (not on my hip) flying out of london. and the security officer there took one look at it and handed it back to me without batting an eye.

so these three families want to blame security at logan? the problem isn't with the security arrangement at logan on the 11th, it was how security at ALL airports was handled (which is why i think the government is crying national security). they didn't have orders to prevent knives and sharp objects though security. they only stopped people who were carrying something that was larger than a pocket knife or illegal. and do you want to know something else? prior to 9/11, i have also breezed through security with a box cutter. no one every said anything to me about it. so even if the fucktards who flew to boston from portland didn't carry the box cutters through security, the fucktards in boston could have carried them through security without much difficulty (which is what i'm sure these families believe and why they have their panties in a twist).

i'm sorry you lost family members on 9/11. but you need to understand that the fucktards who orchestrated this took advantage of security at multiple airports. they preyed on the fact that airport security wouldn't question knives over a designated size and used that to their advantage.

what did we learn? a lot. i no longer fly with my leatherman (checked or otherwise). and if there is a chance i won't be checking anything, i won't even bring a pocket knife, even my little swiss army knife. going through security now is a pain in the ass, and i understand that. but the security measures that were implemented as a result of 9/11 should have been in place years prior. but look at where the airline industry was in 2001, where it was when it was regulated, what changed when it was de-regulated. taking all of this into account, security may have been relaxed in an attempt to encourage people to fly. no one likes going through security, and i'm sure a percentage of people would cite that as a reason for not flying. but if security is a breeze to get through, then why not fly?

in the end, it doesn't change anything. on 9/11, the fucktards struck a blow that affected us all. you lost family members. you aren't the only ones who lost family members. thousands of people were directly affected by the events, so what makes your claim any better than anyone elses? what do you want the government to say? they fucked up? the reality of the situation is they don't have all of the answers. and i doubt that any answers you think are in those documents will give you any solace. but your insistence on not looking at the reality of the situation, only validates their belief that they won that day.

you still lost. you still lose.



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Thursday, March 19, 2009

you dumb fuck

had a call just as i sat down to dinner. some unknown entity is calling and leaving messages on my answering machine about the interest rate on my credit card. i'm on the federal no call list, but that doesn't seem to stop them. and i don't believe i have done business with them before, nor are they a political party, therefore they should be fined for calling me. the problem is i'm never home when they call so i just get irritated and delete the message.

so tonight i figured i'd try and talk to someone so the call went along the line of this:

poorly educated dumb fuck: i'm calling regarding the interest rate on your credit card.

me: which credit card are you calling about?

poorly educated dumb fuck: i work for both master card and visa

me: which of my credit cards are you calling about?

poorly educated dumb fuck: oh god *click*

yes, he was a poorly educated dumb fuck.

fortunately, i was able to get back to my lovely corned beef dinner (leftovers from last night. yummy.) before it cooled off. the only thing i should have done is asked for the company before then tearing into him. but not too shabby - i asked the same question twice and got a hang up. i wonder what it would take to do it in one question....


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musical confusion

the other day i posted a linky linky to molecast volume 1. here's a linky linky to molecast volume 2.

explanation time. volume 1 was a semi-random experiment. volumes 2-4 are a more random experiement.

volume 1 was born out of hearing Song of Seraphim on Top Gear. so i decided to see how quickly i could throw together a mix. i just grabbed a stack of songs and tossed them into the blender and that turned into volume 1.

volumes 2-4 was done differently, using my original idea. load a boatload of MP3s into Winamp, hit shuffle and the order in which Winamp picked 15 songs is what now makes up volumes 2-4.

no major editing (maybe a little fine tuning, boost volume, etc). 15 tracks. mashed into a single 160k MP3. tag it and throw it to the world. the only criteria is no artist can have more than 1 song on there.

why 15 songs? most songs average out to ~4 mins, so it should run ~1 hour. long enough to enjoy, short enough you don't get bored and turn it off.

why so random? why not and maybe i'll find or rediscover something. i'm not looking to censor anything, so be prepared to hear some weird shit. altho i must say that volumes 2-4 aren't that crazy.

unlike volume 1, i don't plan to post the songlist, but you want me to identify a particular song, feel free to ask.

i have 4 volumes so far. i may do more. i may not. i don't plan on keeping things posted for too long, so grab them while you can.

to quote Front 242:

W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G

what you hear is what you get.

molecast volume 1
molecast volume 2



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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

an experiment

just an experiment i've had in mind. if it works, great, if not, no matter. explanation to come later.

volume 1 is a little different than plans for later volumes should this work. similar concept, but later volumes will be different. feedback is welcome, good or bad, preferably after you listen.

Clicky Clicky
~90mb, 76 mins.

not safe for the easily offended.

i will expire the link in a week or two.

fin.



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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

and where do i go?

received the following email from microsoft and it confuses me (not that difficult i guess)

From: Windows Live for Mobile
Sent: Mon 3/02/09 8:11 PM
Subject: New mobile services from Window Live‏

Stay connected while hanging with the guys
Windows Live goes mobile. Stay in sync from the road on your web-enabled mobile device with the all-new Windows Live™ for mobile services!

Windows Live Homepage
Your online life, at a glance.
- View and update your personal message
- See what's new in your network of friends
- View your pending friends requests
- See how many unread emails you have

Windows Live Photos
Save, share and view photos wherever you're online – right from your phone
- You can upload new pics on the go
- Create albums and name your pics
- Even leave comments for your friends!

Windows Live Hotmail®
Get your email on the go and stay connected
- Send & receive emails
- Access your contact list
- Manage your folders


now this is all fine and good, however i have copied the exact content of the email, including any and all links that were included with the email.

i don't see any links or any information to tell me what to plug into my web-enabled phone. not a single shred of information. so, thanks for telling me, but as you neglected to tell me WHERE to look or WHERE to go, i guess you'll just have to miss out on my using your services as i don't know WHERE to to tell my phone to go.

sure i could look it up and figure it out, but you know what? like most people, i'm lazy and have to be told where to go. therefore, this is nothing short of a FAIL.


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