Coding Goes Better to Kelly Clarkson

Nose Ring #1
Originally uploaded by linux_chick.

Take four engineering students from various parts of Kansas and stick them in a house together and you have our pad. That's Adam, Travis, Craig and me.

Everyone is really great, but we do spend a lot of time together. When we're not home together, we're carpooling *together* to the job where we all work...
in the same double-cubicle, together. We go home together and watch either KU Basketball or BattleStar Galactica on the television set downstairs. Together. Together. Together.

So, practically speaking, what gets accomplished with so much concentrated intellectual ability? We're the creme of the crop, right? I mean *Intel* picked us up, for crying out loud, and gave us a bunch of $ to relocate more than 1700 miles. I'll try to paint as clear depiction of a typical day at the office as I can:

Pick Headphones over Food, Given the Choice

---

I pull off my headphones to Kelly wailing away about a loser boyfriend to Travis and Craig debating fried seafood.

Travis: I like fishsticks.
Craig: Fishsticks aren't real seafood.
Travis: Why not?
Craig: Because they're just not. I like fried shrimp, but I can't do coconut shrimp. I don't really like coconut.
Adam: I coconut-ted your mom last night.
(Pause)
Travis: ... So?
Me: Nice comeback, Travis.
Travis: Shut up. You don't know.

At this point, I grab a buck and head to the vending machines. I notice another girl walking my way and silently hope she's headed the same place: it's just so rare to see another girl in the building. But, she turns at the restrooms instead.

Oh well. She was kind of dressed up, an indication that she might work in Business/Marketing a couple of buildings away and is just passing through. I'll probably never see her again.

Back to the vending machines, where water is an unnacceptable $1.25. I know that my self-respect will suffer if I spend that much on water. But if I don't get something, it's a wasted trip. Some obsessive-compulsive tendency surfaces and I decide I must get *something.* I opt for beef jerky, which is salty... and I'm thirsty. It's $.65, though, so I get it and return to my desk.

By the time I get back, Adam and Travis are apparently engaged in warfare:

Travis: Ha! I stuck it to you.
(Craig, anticipating Adam's next remark, is already snickering)
Adam: I stuck it to your mom last night.
(Travis, red, flips back around to his computer screen)
Travis: You don't know.
Me: Travis, your comebacks suck.
Travis: Ha!

I sit back down and pull back on the headphones. Adam, Travis and Craig fade to the background of Track 6:
It's like I can't breathe, without you inside of me. Nothing but you, I'm addicted...

I am really grateful for headphones. With action like this diverting my attention, I'd never get anything done.

Piercing

---

I got the nose ring Tuesday evening. Craig came along, too, so I wouldn't have to make the trip to Sacramento by myself. Here's the promised pic. It's really subtle, so it's kind of difficult to get a shot of the thing.

*Note* I know that I posted a pic of the wrong nostril last post. I had a last minute change of thought and pierced the right instead. I thought about reversing the image, but that's just too much work for a lazy Saturday...

Cali Pics

---

I'm about to throw up an insane amount of pictures from this California experience, so far... from the road trip to eating out in Folsom, California. When I do, I'll post the link here. (Seriously, by *insane* I mean hundreds. Before you click, be warned).

Long post, whew... I'm going to close here and make some soup.
Later!
-T.

Pale Ale, Jewelry and Spicy Food

Before the Needle
Originally uploaded by linux_chick.

Intel sucks for getting our checks out to us late this week... but I had to resist the impulse to take a photo of the thing when it did finally come in. It's the most beautiful check I've ever seen: lots of 0s, which is not too shabby for an intern. What to do with an extra several-thousand-dollar relocation check. Oh, I know!

Fun Dollars
*Mom, Don't read this section!*

---

So, I'm posting a pic I took last night because it has my left nostril in it. (Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry!). Piercing next weekend is most definitely on. Since I have to head up to Sacramento to get it done, the roommies suposedly are even coming for moral support. What else is there to do in California, right?

I suppose I shouldn't make it sound too boring, right? It's really not. This last week has been pretty eventful.

Activity Breakdown

---

Monday: Church Group
Travis went to Community Bible Church last Sunday and having a good impression, took me along to the college group. A healthy group of about 10 were just starting a study on Ecclesiastes; the discussion was so lively though, that we only made it to 1:2 by 9pm. Good times.

Friday: Recent College Graduate Dinner & House Party
This is a semi-official group at Intel that meets from time to time and promotes a sense of community among a younger crowd, obviously with similar interests. We (Travis, Craig and I) went along to the India House, which is kind of an upscale mall-restaurant serving Indian food. I had Curry Chicken and Flan(sp?): great but pretty spicy. Over dinner, the RCG group unofficially agreed plan a weekend getaway to San Fransisco in the next few weeks.

Later that night, Travis and Craig elected to watch Battlestar Galactica, while Adam and I went to a house party an RCG intern had invited us to. Everyone exchanged phone numbers for planning a trip to downtown Sacramento Saturday.

Saturday: Vegging & KU Basketball
We had to wake up at 9am to catch the KU vs. Iowa State game. But, it was well worth it to watch us pull off that win in Aimes. Fantastic.

Matt (an RCG from the house party Friday night) called with finalized plans on heading up to Sacramento, but pooped, I declined.

Later that night, Adam, Travis and I blew a combined $50 on dinner at BJs Pub. For some drama, we actually had to wait an hour before being seated, and decided to drive around looking for something else. But, since we took their table buzzer with us when we left he had to endure the thing beeping every 30 seconds-ish once it was out of range from the restaurant. We were so aggrivated, we ultimately just went back; it was totally worth it, though. Black Olive & Pepperoni Pizza + Pirhanna Pale Ale + an unpronouncable dessert = *Yum!* Can't do it every night, though.

Sunday: Church
Travis and I went to the 9:30 service at Community Bible Church. They taught a sermon from a video tape, which is different, but I'm totally hooked on the people and looking forward to the Ecclesiastes study tomorrow evening.

Conclusion

---

So, I have kept pretty busy I suppose. It helps ease the sting from missing home and especially, Jeremy. Ouch.

Before I go, a link hat's tip to Travis 's blog, where he posts more pictures and experience tidbits of our endeavors here in California.

I'll close this book here. Peace, -LC

Looking for Toto...

Intel
Originally uploaded by linux_chick.

It seems somehow fitting that I would be watching the original Terminator, starring Gov. Schwarzenegger himself, my first week here in California. But, here I am.

And things don't seem altogether too different from Kansas when I'm sipping coffee at my desk, browsing OSNews, and half-paying attention to nostalgia on television. Take away some snow, add a home pool and equate Safeway with Dillons and I'm right at home.

I've finished 4 days of my 7 month internship at Intel in their Design Validation department. So far, working full-time in a tech position minus class and homework is everything I thought it could be: I'm intellectually challenged at work, then I go home and do... whatever I want (wohoo!)... I've even had the chance to catch up on where I left off last semester in Card's The Worthing Saga when I'm not listening to the shrieks of my roommates jumping in our 60-degree pool.

It's safe to say that things are dangerously close to perfection; if I could have my fiance back here with me, things just might be...

Well, I'm going to go do something constructive, so I'll close here, for now: Hasta la Vista, Baby ;)

Getting Married...

Engagement Photo
Originally uploaded by linux_chick.

My dad took this picture of us yesterday with my new camera while we were celebrating Christmas. It instantaneously became our official engagement picture.

We've been dating since May 2003, but as of November 19th, Jeremy and I are officially engaged.

Moving...
In unrelated news, I scored a super-sweet internship with Intel in California. So, I'm taking next semester off from school on Internship credit.

January 3rd is my first day and I'll post as many pictures here as I can of my pad.

To all my KU buds, see you guys in August! To everybody reading, Merry Christmas!
-T.

I Knew We Could Do It...

Congrats to our Seniors
Final Score: 42-13.

What a fantastic season! Merry Christmas everybody :)

Quote of the Day: This One Makes Me Smile

"Hey, if I am [suspended], I am. That would be a discredit to the team and obviously it would hurt the team. It would be a sad situation."

-Terrell Owens on his suspension w/ Phili

Brief Kansas Update: Multimedia
The photogallery from the Nebraska game is up here. Thanks to Jeremy for taking all the great pics!

Video of the second goal post coming down can be viewed here.

Happy viewing!
-T.

1 in 51,000

Final Score
Originally uploaded by linux_chick.

One girl in the very top nosebleed row on the fifty yard line saw it all. I'm not sure if I can stop my fingers from trembling...

Record Attendance
It's true (and fantastic) that 51,750 fans showed up to watch us snap this 36 year losing streak to Nebraska. But what excites me more than packing Memorial Stadium tighter than it's ever been in history are the *real* fans in both sides of the stadium. I actually sat next to a group of KU alumni who graduated 21 to 23 years ago reminiscing about puking in the stadium and celebrating wins by carrying students up and down the rows until officials broke it up. It was so great.

There were so many fans. All screaming loud enough that I struggled to hear the band.

The Events as I Remember...
I watched KU students alongside 40 and 50-somethings rush the field to tear both goalposts down.

My favorite team dominated in the most amazing football game I've ever witnessed.

A kindergartener in a Jayhawk cheerleading uniform squeeled at the top of her lungs, "We got 'em, Daddy. We got Nebwaska!!"

It's a good day to be in Lawrence
I seriously can't stay... I'm going to post this photogallery within the hour so you can catch a glimpse of what we saw today.

I'm not going to talk about stats either, because I don't know them, or care. I was there to watch the event that turned my hometown upside-down in three hours time. I'm going to leave now and go lose my voice with my neighbors. There will be booze and dancing and screaming. Today is *great*.

KU Quarterbacks Wilt Under Pressure

I'm so upset right now, I'm not even sure what to say about game day in Manhattan.

Dominating Rushing with over three times the yardage of K-State, we *still* lose 12-3. In response to our outstanding defensive effort, our offense lost 3 of 4 fumbles and had a collective <20% completion of passes.

Freshman Marcus Hereford was the one Quarterback whose explosive 34-yard trick pass to Gordon and back that got our offensive momentum back... and then we pull him from the game.

Rushing. Rushing worked. Cornish gets it done, but then, we'd have to get him the ball.

How many games are we going to have to lose before our Offensive Coordinator calls the plays that our team is actually good at?

Unrelated...
Just to leave this on a somewhat happy note so I'm not suicidal:

The beta 2 of Firefox is released. Aside from breaking my Adblock extension, it's looking nice. Hurray for dragging text into search bars and links into the tab-toolbar for instant execution!

Man, open-sourced is getting good. ;)

Stay techie,
-T.

KU Starts 0-1 for Conference Play

There's no shame in losing to number 16 ranked Texas Tech in our first game away, but having a passionate comeback putting up 10 points in 90 seconds in the beginning of the second half deflated by a disjointed offensive effort is disheartening to say the least. Final score: 30-17 Texas Tech.

Hats off to the Defense
Absolutely incredible stops that kept us in the game while our QB choked throwing down the field. I can't blame Luke too harshly; as much as I appreciate what Mangino is doing for our program, our play calls are truly a mystery to me. Throwing on a first down when Luke started out 8 of 18 passes in the first quarter and 1 interception. Umm... something isn't working.

Offense that Works
It seemed the only thing that *did* work offensively was the combined running efforts of Cornish and Simmons. We show great potential. If we can get over our clumsy passing game, who knows how this program will grow over the next few weeks? I'm truly at a loss.

See you next week in Manhattan :)

I Want to Be a Coach

North Stadium View

How's Mangino's $600k salary as an incentive to pick up sport coaching? Nice...

Anyway, here are some pics of our new football scoreboard.

It doesn't appear to be completely finished, but still is looking pretty nice. So fans willing to spend the $225/game for season tickets (non-students) will be able to decide which direction they want to crook their heads to see by exactly how much we're slaughtering Nebraska... North or South.

Game 1 is less than a week away... do you have your tickets yet? :)

-T.

KU Gets Kicked While They're Down

Football Media Attention

---

So, I got my wish (sort of).

KU Football is certainly making headlines these days with the Ringwood arrest and allegations that he attacked a forty-something man and his wife outside a concert. This attention isn't exactly what I had in mind in my previous post.

With the onset of this incident, exciting developments of our outstanding freshmen recruits and speculated atheletic growth in players such as Clark Green and our powerhouse Charles Gordon seem to fade to the background. KU's disciplinary actions have instead, receives the limelight... Great.

I haven't decided who I'm angrier with, the 20-year-old athelete casting a shameful light on the institution (and program) I think so highly of under already tense circumstances... or the local media for beating the incident to death and allowing it to overshadow our positive steps forward.

Are Our Freshmen Stupid?

---

While I'm venting about individuals making KU look bad, it seems to me that this wave of incoming freshmen are lacking in the common sense department.

For a little background, I'm working a couple on campus of jobs in the computer/internet trouble-shooting arena at ResNet and EGARC.

In this era of widespread computer accessibility where everyone and his dog owns a laptop, Ipod and PDA, each successive year of new-comers would be growing more and more computer savvy. At least that's what *I* thought.

Favorite Computer Questions at EGARC

1. Can you help me open Word?
   
2. OK, now how do you save this?
   
3. So you guys are the computer people. Can you give me my Blackboard assignment?
   
4. My class isn't in the room it's supposed to be in. Can you tell me where they went?
   
5. Can you give me the video my instructor asked us to watch? She's the short one with brown hair.
   

Favorite Internet "Trouble-Shooting" Solutions from ResNet
Student Question: I can't get to the internet, what am I doing wrong?
Answer: Pick any of the following...

1. You need an ethernet cord.
   
2. (Related to 1) You need an ethernet cord that isn't broken, ie. the plastic terminating end is actually attached.
   
3. When the window pops up asking if you want to continue, click "OK."
   
4. You actually need to *run* the security program you downloaded from our site.
   
5. Try the web-browser.
   

These guys aren't the *norm,* but are more frequent than one would hope. Am I being too harsh?

-T.

Big 12 Stadiums on Google Maps

Gearing up for Football Season

---

Like a good little Jayhawk, I spent a sickening amount of the day complaining about the rise in tuition and book costs while simulatneously opting to foot another $120 for the Sports Combo Ticket in Enroll and Pay.

The Big 12:

---

Jeremy actually compiled this list during the Google Maps craze. So, if you have a few minutes to waste and want to check out our stadiums:

• Baylor Bears
  
• Colorado Buffaloes
  
• Iowa State Cyclones
  
• KANSAS JAYHAWKS (MSN Virtual Earth)
  
• Kansas State Wildcats
  
• Missouri Tigers
  
• Nebraska Cornhuskers
  
• Oklahoma Sooners
  
• Oklahoma State Cowboys (MSN Virtual Earth)
  
• Texas Longhorns
  
• Texas A&M Aggies
  
• Texas Tech Red Raiders
  

Support Our Team

---

No doubt, Lawrence is all about basketball. And with good reason... but with football season less than a month away our local paper is still talking about nothing but freshmen B-ball recruits. Their excuse is pure economics: basketball stories gross triple the hits online vs. football... even in football season.

So visit KUSports and click on some football links to promote more writing. We got the cover story today... Hopefully, this can help get Lawrence excited to see what Mangino and the team can do.

Tailgating, Tailgating, Tailgating

---

I couldn't be more pumped up. With the last season defeat of K-State thanks to our uber-stud coach, all football-fan eyes are set on one thing...

Nebraska ;)

See you at the stadium September 3rd. This should be fun,
-T :)

Hating Bill Gates on a New Level

As much as I complain about Internet Explorer and Microsoft business practices, these guys are psycho.

Andy Martin and the Obliteration of Common Sense

---

The Committee to Fight Microsoft (CTFM) as far as I can tell "protects our rights" as consumers by refusing to accept "bad code" Microsoft forces onto innocent consumers like you and I. Andy Martin, CTFM President says this of Microsoft:

"Bill Gates sells the public defective products, and then expects us to spend years being his guinea pigs, while he corrects the myriad of defects and vulnerabilities in his defective code. This is mass consumer fraud. It is unacceptable corporate behavior."
--Beta News

The solution, you ask?

---

This is Martin's answer: He hopes to force Microsoft into ensuring that Windows Vista will either be free of "bad code" or removed from the shelves. That's right. Martin is asking for Microsoft's guarantee that Vista is bug-free or withheld from the market until it's perfect.

Let's Use an Analogy

---

Martin's logic holds some intrinsic flaws:

1. First, he assumes Microsoft is releasing defective software warranting fraudulent advertising simply because the system can be compromised.
   
   So, if I build a house, and some jerk is successful in burning it down, can I be sued for construction flaws?
   
   This is exactly what virus developers do. They maliciously research ways of compromising software. A successful virus script-kiddie managing to hijack our systems into performing actions never intended is a far cry from Microsoft designing Vista that way.


2. Second, *no* software is bug-free.
   
   Developing is a process; especially when dealing with the amount of code Windows would require. It's a game of programmers against programmers back and forth. We should be happy Microsoft releases years worth of updates when vulnerabilities rise to the surface. Exactly, which OS would Martin like to switch to? Linux? *There's* a bug-free option.


3. Lastly, if you're unhappy with Windows, don't use it.
   
   Hopefully, this doesn't require any further explanation. We live in a capitalist society. XP and Vista are two of many different operating systems and we're free to choose any one (of varying quality) we want. I thought this was a no-brainer.

And my coworkers think *I* hate Gates. Hopefully Martin takes a chill pill.
-T.

KU Construction Hazards and Dashed Techie Hopes

A Dilemma

---

I actually watched a guy fall up the stairs on the way to Bailey Hall. Yep, it was ugly. The kind of fall that sends notebooks flying in the bushes and scrapes knees against the concrete.

I was walking far enough behind that by the time I reached him, he was standing again, braced against the hand-support. That's when I saw blood. And he was no longer making an effort to get up the stairs.

What does a person do in this situation? Do I offer to help him the rest of the way? Or walk past under the pretense that I hadn't seen the incident?

The question is this: Which hurts more: trying to limp up the stairs on an injured knee or the scathed pride at having fallen *badly* in front of a person of the opposite sex?

Internet Explorer with Tabs?

---

That's a nice feature, but I would *much* rather have a browser that is standards compliant like just about EVERY OTHER browser on the market.

Here's a review of IE 7.0 I pulled from Slashdot.

A Subtle Note to Gates:

---

CSS-Support! Just *do* it! The most-used browser on the planet is stuck in the Ice Age. I'm going to bomb Microsoft if I have to include *one* more hack specific to fixing YOUR STUPID BROWSER in my code again...

Ubuntu is so Cool, It's too Bad their Colors Suck

Jeremy and I found a deal at Best Buy we couldn't pass up: 80G Hardrive, Sempron 3000 E-Machine. So we whipped out the credit card and did the "college thing," making purchases we can't afford.

The Service Rep

---

Fending this guy off proved a feat. He was going through his top-sellers-list, "offering" us: a firewall, anti-virus (which all KU students can get for *free*), etc.

When my polite attempts to quickly get out of the store failed, Jeremy stepped in, "Dude, we're gonna put linux on this thing as soon as we get it back."

The rep paled and silenced. Best Buy should maybe train their reps better, so they know a little about competitor products and not just the memorized, stock answers Best Buy wants them to shove down people's throats.

Installing Ubuntu

---

This is my favorite linux distro. that I've tried so far. The Ubuntu community offers a plethera of solid faqs for *every* question you could ever want answered unlike any distribution I've seen. The GUI is intuitive and friendly... but well, unfortunately kind of ugly.

What's with the diarrhea-brown everywhere? C'mon, you guys are *this* close to perfect.

Anyway, we don't have to look at it since we're running it console only.

A $300 toy

---

So, using it as a secure shell/web server sounded like a great idea for us in the store... Fast-foward to today: the thing is set up (on the floor since neither of us have an extra desk), ready to go and we don't have any files we want to put on the thing. Maybe we didn't plan this through very responsibly.

...At least it's fun to play with. :)

Kansas Freshmen

I was following a girl today who had a $10 bill falling out of her right back pocket.

When I finally caught up to her, she was venting to a boy by the Chick-Fil-A stand. She told him she was furious; she had just come downstairs after having to pay an outrageous $3 overdue fee to avoid getting in trouble with the Bursar's Office.

I cut in, "Sorry. I don't mean to eavesdrop."

I made them aware, in case they didn't already know, that I was pretty sure students could renew their videos upstairs as many times as they wanted for free. I told them that although checking out videos are free, the libraries on campus tend to use steep late fees since instructors often need the videos for classes.

I said that I hoped what I said may help for next time.

Both stared blankly at me for a moment and I felt really stupid.

It was the girl who finally spoke.

"Thanks anyway," she said. "Next time, I think I'll just go to Blockbuster and avoid getting screwed by KU's bull***."

So, does Blockbuster not charge late fees?

Bowling Blows

I hate this stupid this game and don't want to play anymore.

Why Impatient People Should Pick Another Sport

---

How much more counterproductive can a game get than launching a urethane projectile at set of plastic rods flipping you the birdie from 60 feet away?

Best case scenerio: you nail 'em all. But don't get too excited because 15 seconds after hearing the satisfactory crack of exploding pins richocheting off the backboard, your crowning achievement is cleared away by a heartless mechanization replacing your conquered pins with a fresh set, white and new and flipping you the birdie.

1. No one wins... *ever:* The purpose of this spectacle is to raise your average. It's not as simple as slaughtering more headpins than your neighbor. This is intended to facilitate the opportunity for newcomers to compete with the advanced. What it actually *does* is create an extremely frustrating game-setting, where the only way to win is to kick your own butt.
   
   Doesn't sound like a night out of fun to me. Hmm, a game where the harder I practice, the harder it will be for me to beat *myself.* Maybe, I'll stay home and clip my toenails instead. At least then I'd have some kind of notion of accomplishment.



2. Everyone's an Expert: Nevermind that their averages are only 20 pins or so above yours. With stale-beer breath, freinds of friends of your father's bowling teammate from '72 that remember you from when you were "this big" will happily volunteer their successful (and often conflicting) bowling tips, leaving you dangerously tempted to test the structural sanctity of the plastic bowling pins against your thrashing foot.



3. Bowling is Monotonous: This game's idea of variety is switching to another lane three feet away that is identical to the one you just played on. Then you get to switch back. And switch again.
   
   

In Short

---

Without divulging too many details, I think it's fair to say bowling could have gone better this week.

An upside is that Jaybowl lets KU students bowl for $1/game all summer long in the basement of the Kansas Union. Hurray for gluttons for punishment.

-T.

Mind of Monotony with Carlos Mencia

Last night I tried out the new Comedy Central show, Mind of Mencia... again. Since it's debut July 6th, I've subjected myself three times to the same watered-down laughs reminiscent of a hispanic Chappelle's Show without the wit. I think it's fair to say I've given the guy a shot.

Not for the Easily Offended

---

This title of his comedy DVD released a couple of years ago is also the gimmick of the show. You'll know this because he will tell you *every five minutes* just before he moves on to broadcasting another tired stereotype to the audience they've long-since grown sick of hearing.

Feigning Indifference

---

Adding insult to injury, Mencia's in-your-face flavor comes across as a desperate attempt to convince his audience that he doesn't care who he offends. Maybe he's trying too hard...

His politically-correct style of alotting nearly equal time to bashing each cultural identity appears to suspiciously reminiscent of a ploy of an entertainer afraid of losing his fan base. The action screams, "You can't get mad at me because I make fun of everyone, so you can't be mad because at least I'm being fair!" This has two problems:

1. It doesn't work.
   Some stereotypes are funnier than others. Why sacrifice the quality of his show for a strained montage of tag team culture-ribbing?
   
   If it comes down to offensiveness, Dave Chappelle's "The Niggars" skit of a 1950s white suburban family with the commons surname, "Niggar" is far more eyebrow-raising as Chappelle tests the limits of how often his audience can hear the word "Niggar" in casual conversation without cringing. It's gutsy, and hilarious.
   
   But then, Chappelle doesn't feel the need to p the Hindus, Arabs, Blacks, Mexicans, Jews and Homosexuals in every show.


2. It leaves no time to develop a joke.
   Mencia's show is 23 minutes long (taking comercials into account). With as many topics as Mencia hopes to cover, he's successful in getting across punchlines suggesting that Arabs are racially profiled as terrorists and Mexicans stigmatized as illegal aliens. Gee, thanks.

On a (Somewhat) Positive Note

---

I'm being too harsh. It's not as if I never laughed. Mencia has a great deal of charisma that is extremely entertaining to watch. Hopefully, he explores his material a bit to find something fresh to present to his audience. As is, Dave did it first, Dave did it better.


-T.

So Long-horn...

Microsoft officially anounced the new name of the Longhorn operating system superceding XP today as Window's Vista. Reported additional features give us home users much to be excited about.

For the Developers and Home Users

---

"Click Once" application technology is purported to beef up Visual Studio and ease application installation securely.

Also, the new addition of "Aero," a dynamic side-bar holding relevant applications to add power to the standard Windows Task Bar. Possibly borrowing from the Apple dock?

For the Gamers

---

Vista implements the new Avalon (API) graphical subsystem for better rendering of 3D graphics based on Direct3D technologies.

If anyone has tried the beta version of this OS and has any feedback, feel free to post your impressions. I'd be interested to know.

Tangent Links

---

Here's some additional readings I found interesting today. If you have a few extra minutes to kill, you may be mildly amused...

• Technology: A friend at work was drooling today over gaming possibilities with the Nvidia GeForce 7 Series. Admitedly, the new video cards look impressive.



• Mindless Entertainment: This is really old, but entertained me for a while today: I thought I'd give a shout out Burger King's Subservient Chicken. Enjoy watching your free video slave "dance like John Travolta."



• In the News: Whoopdie-do for 10 more years of the Patriot Act, signed into Congress today. The justification being, since there were no "atual record(s) of abuse," it *makes sense* to extend legislation.
  

Stay Cool Today

---

At the risk of sounding completely random, make sure you stay cool today. In Lawrence, the heat index is remarked to peak at 115 today. Absolutely dreadful.

Stay techie ;)
-T.

New Banners on this Site?

So, advertisments can be annoying, I know. But, I've decided to syndicate out a piece of this blog to Google's Adsense program to hopefully help me earn a little extra cash and help support my Flickr account. So, if you want to support me and see something of interest in my side-bar, go ahead and follow my advertiser links and make a purchase. I'll be rewarded for it.

How to Block my Banners

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It may be slightly counter-productive to instruct you on how to make my means of revenue disappear from the screen, but if they're as annoying to you as they are to me, it won't hurt my feelings in the slightest to browse free of them. Follow these steps and you won't see them anymore.

1. Get Firefox


2. Install Adblock. Read more.


3. Restart Firefox.


4. Tools -> Adblock -> Preferences


5. Type: *show_ads.js*


6. Hit Enter and you're done. No more ads on this blog.

For those holding out on Adblock for this page, I want to say thanks for your support.

-T.