Aitch Tee Tee Pee

Posted on January 19 2004 by Mickey
    The long arm of Microsoft is after the insidious Mike Rowe, a 17-year-old Canadian who had the gall to buy a web domain based on his own name. Since he’s a web designer, he chose http://www.mikerowesoft.com, but, according to this CNN article, Microsoft has reacted by claiming copyright infringement and is ordering the site be taken down. Thank God Microsoft is here to protect all their customers from confusing this kid’s site from the company’s. Apparently they think their customers are braindead enough to phonetically type out all URLs. Speaking of which, damn those sneaky tricksters at http://www.see-en-en.com.
Posted in Links, News, Tech | Leave a comment

A Message from Joe (2004/01/17)

Posted on January 17 2004 by Mickey
    My nephew Joe is taking an international studies course in Ecuador. Here’s his latest message.
From: Joe
Sent: Saturday, January 17 2004   22:00:20
Subject: Two Life Changing Trips

¡Greetings amigos!

As you all know, because I’ve mentioned it before, a group of Kzoo students, including Jill, Vonnie, Sus, and myself, did the Incan trail!! Really, all I can say is that it was the most amazing 4days 3nights of my life. Ever single person on this earth must do this. They MUST. All of you Kzoo kids that are young and fit and full of life, YOU MUST DO THIS!

I really can’t describe it, it was a full experience. I will say that we were in a group with 4 other people, plus our guide Augustin, who was tight. The other people were 2 bros from Cali, Mark from New Zealand, and Alex from Bulgaria. We definitely bonded, even though our personalities weren’t exactly the most compatible. Anyway, for those of you that aren’t familiar with the trail, its a 4 day 3 night hike from 82Km outside of Cuzco, Peru to Macchu Pichu, a total of 42km, most of which is up and down hill. Along the way you visit many, many different Incan ruins.

After returning to Quito for about 13 hours, all the Kzoo kids with Nelson (program director), headed to Las Islas Galápagos. The Galápagos, a set of islands located 600km from the coast of Ecuador, are maybe the most beautiful set of landscapes I have ever seen. Beaches with sands of all colors, waters of every shade of blue. We did a lot of snorkeling, which always included playing with the sea lions, where they swim around you, dive at you, and spin all around. We also saw some sharks, rays, many fish, and some bottle nose dolphins that chased the boat.

To have these two trips back to back created a fairly intense couple of weeks, so I apologize that this is so short, but its really something that has to be experienced. I’m sure all the study abroad kids understand. Now I have a day to relax in Quito (tomorrow) and on Monday we leave at 7h30 to go to the jungle for a month, at which time I will have no contact with the outside world. I wish all of you well, and I’ll see everyone in the US. I hope everyone has an amazing end to there study abroad programs (long terms), and they return safely to the States.

Love always,

Joe
Posted in Joe's Travels | Leave a comment

Diet Blog: Day Fifteen

Posted on January 17 2004 by Mickey
    Today I started Phase Two of the Southpaw diet. I’m now able to incorporate grains and fruit in my menu. And this morning started off with a bowl of oatmeal. Oh glorious joy, a bowl of oatmeal, he blogged sarcastically. In consolation, I had a nice weigh-in this morning (pre-breakfast). My current weight is now 228 pounds (actually a little bit less), which means I lost over ten pounds in Phase One.
Posted in Diet, Personal, Video | Leave a comment

Blog Within a Blog: My New Computer 7.0

Posted on January 16 2004 by Mickey
    I went ahead and installed my new SATA drive this morning. I made sure to dig out my old anti-shock wrist strap this time so I could avoid any more problems. It went fairly well, apart from blowing up half the house, setting fire to the carport, and bursting a water main. Oh yeah, I had to have four fingers and a leg amputated; but at least the new drive is in and formatted. I even installed Windows XP before I left for work. The stage is set for me to spend all night downloading patches and updates and loading in all my old software, when I get home.
    I’m very glad to escape from Windows 2000. It’s been acting buggier with each passing day. Just lately I’m unable to do any kind of “Find Files” search. Whenever I try, “explorer.exe” crashes and my taskbar becomes useless. This followed right after the last Windows Update critical patch, so I wonder if that had anything to do with it. I haven’t found any corroboration online, so it might be just a coincidence.
    In Diet Blog: Day Fourteen news, today is the last day of Phase One. I’m looking forward to adding carbohydrates back into my diet. It might help to wake me up. Don’t tell my boss, but I’ve spent the last two weeks in a lethargic stupor. I think the cold weather is slowly turning me into a bear, and my system is telling me I should be hibernating.
Posted in Diet, Gadgets, New Computer | 1 Comment

What’s that thumping sound coming from your cubicle?

Posted on January 15 2004 by Mickey
    Some old links, but again ones I only just discovered. This time they came from Lockergnome. Have some fun at the office with these Microsoft Excel spreadsheets which actually allow you to play Pacman and Space Invaders!
    And there’s a link from Stupid Evil Bastard … with some not very encouraging results.

30%
There’s a 30% chance that I’ll win a Bloggie™.
What’s Your Chance to Win a Bloggie™?

Posted in Blog, Gadgets, Links | Leave a comment

Today in Food (2004/01/15)

Posted on January 15 2004 by Mickey
    Burger King, to win back customers lost to low-carb diets, has introduced the “Bunless Whopper”. I won’t be able to sample one for four more weeks however (until my own diet is over). I’m posting this even though I don’t think it’s that big a news story. Whoppers are so sloppy that the contents end up bunless after a few bites anyway.
    And in Diet Blog: Day Thirteen news, I weighed in at 229½ yesterday. I lost a further pound since my previous weigh-in, bringing the total to 9 pounds lost.
Posted in Diet, Food, News | Leave a comment

“White are the far-off plains
And white the fading forests grow”

Posted on January 15 2004 by Mickey
    We had a serious snowfall yesterday, with accumulation as high as ten inches. Stuck in my windowless basement office, I missed most of it but had plenty of fun driving home last night. I had my camera with me, and I took a few blurry photos, as seen below…

Eastbound Southfield Rd, right after the Fwy ends


Relda
Posted in Personal, Photos | Leave a comment

Movie Listings

Posted on January 14 2004 by Mickey
    I guess this is Steal Ideas off Jaquandor‘s Site week. He cites a new pastime of ticking off which movies one has seen of IMDB’s Top 100. It looks like I’m fairly well-versed — well-spooled? — in the cinema classics. There are only a few movies I haven’t seen, and in some cases (like Double Indemnity) I have seen them but just don’t remember them well enough, or (as with Casablanca) I’ve caught bits and pieces of them on television (or have only seen the edited televised version, such as with Chinatown).
1   The Godfather (1972)
2   The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3   The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4   The Return of the King (2003)
5   The Two Towers (2002)
6   Casablanca (1942)
7   Schindler’s List (1993)
8   The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
9   Seven Samurai (1954)
10   Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
11   Citizen Kane (1941)
12   One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
13   Dr. Strangelove (1964)
14   Rear Window (1954)
15   Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
16   Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
17   Memento (2000)
18   The Usual Suspects (1995)
19   Pulp Fiction (1994)
20   North by Northwest (1959)
21   12 Angry Men (1957)
22   Amélie (2001)
23   Psycho (1960)
24   Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
25   The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
26   The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
27   It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
28   Goodfellas (1990)
29   American Beauty (1999)
30   Vertigo (1958)
31   Sunset Blvd. (1950)
32   The Matrix (1999)
33   Apocalypse Now (1979)
34   The Pianist (2002)
35   To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
36   Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
37   Some Like It Hot (1959)
38   Taxi Driver (1976)
39   The Third Man (1949)
40   Paths of Glory (1957)
41   Fight Club (1999)
42   Spirited Away (2001)
43   Das Boot (1981)
44   Double Indemnity (1944)
45   L.A. Confidential (1997)
46   Chinatown (1974)
47   Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
48   The Maltese Falcon (1941)
49   Requiem for a Dream (2000)
50   M (1931)
51   The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
52   All About Eve (1950)
53   Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
54   Se7en (1995)
55   Saving Private Ryan (1998)
56   City of God (2002)
57   Raging Bull (1980)
58   The Wizard of Oz (1939)
59   Rashômon (1950)
60   The Sting (1973)
61   Alien (1979)
62   American History X (1998)
63   Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
64   Léon (The Professional) (1994)
65   Life is Beautiful (1997)
66   The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
67   Touch of Evil (1958)
68   2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
69   The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
70   Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
71   The Great Escape (1963)
72   A Clockwork Orange (1971)
73   Reservoir Dogs (1992)
74   Amadeus (1984)
75   Annie Hall (1977)
76   Jaws (1975)
77   Modern Times (1936)
78   Ran (1985)
79   On the Waterfront (1954)
80   Braveheart (1995)
81   High Noon (1952)
82   The Apartment (1960)
83   The Sixth Sense (1999)
84   Fargo (1996)
85   Aliens (1986)
86   The Shining (1980)
87   Strangers on a Train (1951)
88   Blade Runner (1982)
89   Metropolis (1927)
90   Duck Soup (1933)
91   Finding Nemo (2003)
92   Donnie Darko (2001)
93   The General (1927)
94   The Princess Bride (1987)
95   Toy Story 2 (1999)
96   City Lights (1931)
97   The Great Dictator (1940)
98   Run Lola Run (1998)
99   Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
100   Notorious (1946)
Posted in Movies | Leave a comment

Note to Self: Buy More Stuff

Posted on January 14 2004 by Mickey
    I got my new SATA drive this morning. It’s a Maxtor 120 GB, compared to my original dual Seagate 160 GBs. I’m uncertain when to install and, to be honest, I’m rather trepidatious. But speaking of tech stuff, here are a couple other doodads I’d also like to order.
    • I first heard about the Pioneer SE-DIR1000C from The Screen Savers and was greatly intrigued. They’re wireless headphones and feature Dolby Headphone surround technology. I watch a lot of late-night TV viewing with headphones, and to be able to retain a surround-sound effect would be excellent. Currently the headphones only sell in Japan, but are reportedly to arrive on our shores soon. (And they can be ordered now, through importers, for around $500 US.)
    • Now that I lost my SATA RAID, this might be an easier way to build a supercomputer. LaCie is selling a one terrabyte external hard drive, the Bigger Disk, for $1200. Just think of all the MP3s, warez, and porn I can cram onto one terabyte!
    • Last and least is RadTech’s little EyeLighter, a tiny light that fits over the ear, illuminating wherever one looks. This is the perfect accessory, since no room ever seems bright enough for me. Not only will I easily be able to look into out-of-the-way places, hands-free, but I can pretend I’m Borg. And, at only $9.95, it’s certainly the most affordable gadget of the bunch.
Posted in Gadgets, New Computer | Leave a comment

What Your Snack Food Says About You

Posted on January 13 2004 by Mickey
    As mentioned in an article in The Guardian [found via Byzantium’s Shores via I Love Everything], Alan R Hirsch, a doctor at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, has studied almost 20,000 people over the last few years in an effort to correlate personality with snack food choice.
    Here is a sampling of the results [copied off the Splendid Table site]:
Potato Chips: Potato-chip lovers are successful high achievers who enjoy the rewards and trimmings of their success, both in business and in family life.

Snack Crackers: Contemplative and thoughtful, people who prefer snack crackers base their decisions on logic rather than emotions.

Meat Snacks: Gregarious and social, those who reach for a savory bag of pork rinds or crave beef jerky and other meat snacks are often the life of the party. They are loyal and true friends who can always be trusted.

Pretzels: Lively and energetic, pretzel fans seek novelty and thrive in the world of abstract concepts. They often lose interest in mundane, day-to-day routines.

Tortilla Chips: Perfectionists in regards to their own actions and to the community at large, people who crave tortilla chips are humanitarians who are often distressed by the inequities and injustices of society.

Cheese Curls: Formal, conscientious and always proper, the cheese-curl lover can be described with one word: integrity. They will always maintain moral high ground with their family, work, and romantic partners.
    Which makes me a conscientious, energetic, gregarious, thoughtful, perfectionist high-achiever.

Posted in Food, Links, News | Leave a comment