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It looks like the weather might be shaping up to be the opposite of what it was last year, in that this time the snow will apparently be hitting in North Carolina rather than Washington. Well, as long as it doesn't mess with my flights or adversely affect getting to or from the airport, it can snow all it wants, as far as I'm concerned.I feel...:  tired |
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Between now and December 24, the Tex Murphy 1 and 2 bundle is available for free at GOG.com.
Unfortunately for me, I'd already bought them a while back. However, they are also offering an alternative for those in such a situation. Of course, A) I still don't have a working computer, and B) even if I did, after tomorrow I won't be anywhere near it until after Dec. 31. Eh, I registered for it anyway. I can probably find a computer somewhere while I'm in NC to check emails and such. Besides, it's no big loss one way or another, since that bundle was only like $5 or something anyway, and I'm guessing the alternate thing would be equivalent to that as well.
In any case, if you have an account at GOG, I'd recommend checking it out.I feel...:  awake |
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I often ask myself why do I continue to go back to POE News? I was introduced to this site by my former boss a few years ago, and I've pretty much been visiting it at least once a day ever since (at least workdays, anyway). This includes, especially, the forums, which are among the dregs of the Internet. I have never posted there, and never intend to ever start posting there because I see how the regulars treat both each other and newbies. Despite that (or, let's face it, because of that), I lurk those forums way more than is probably healthy. And, as such, I think I've finally determined the answer now. Well, there are two reasons.
The first is because it's just a decent source of some of the random things I post here, and there are some genuinely interesting things that show up there on occasion (though it's rarely anything that I couldn't and don't find elsewhere eventually), at least when the regular denizens of the forums aren't too busy horrifically insulting one another.
But, secondly, I find that, for me, the entirety of the POE News forums are, quite simply put, the equivalent of one giant "POE Red exhibit" (to use their own terminology). On the whole, it's somewhat more legible and less scuzzy than something like, say, 4chan or Encyclopedia Dramatica or whatever, but that's not saying much. It's a pretty morbid pastime and a guilty pleasure, I freely admit, and this is the one and only forum I lurk like this, at least the only one that's this bad anyway. The abuse that these people are able to heap upon one another... well, it's... inventive. It's much more elaborate than the typical, boring, run-of-the-mill homophobic or misogynistic slurs one would see on most other forums (though there's plenty enough of that there as well). They've got it down to a science, almost. It's what I'd imagine watching a really trashy train wreck of a reality TV show would be like, assuming I watched TV at all.
Strangely, though, I couldn't really care less about the main Portal of Evil site itself, despite linking it above, or any of the other affiliated sites. Though I might check out that Wicked Small Games site at some point, as I'd never actually even heard of that before, prior to looking at that Wikipedia page.I feel...: awake |
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Speaking from experience, I don't see this as all that unsurprising at all. The stereotype is definitely not entirely inaccurate, in this case. Also not mentioned in the article: the stench, or the "freshman funk" as we called it at DigiPen. Sadly, I only wish I was joking there.
Of course, I'm just talking about the computer science curriculum at a largely computer science school (can't speak for the art side of things, because I have little experience there) rather than the industry in general. Also, DigiPen is probably not typical either, as it is a specialist school as opposed to the more general comp sci programs offered at "normal" schools. By contrast, for example, there were quite a few more girls in the computer science program at NC A&T and it was a decidedly less nerdy environment overall than DigiPen was. That said, I still personally preferred DigiPen more, simply because it was a way more focused curriculum.
(And I have to agree with that second comment, poorly written though it may be. Geeky girls are indeed hot.)I feel...: awake |
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As I expected I eventually would, I accidentally overpaid (by 50ยข) for a 2-zone bus fare this morning on the way to work when I only needed to pay for the 1-zone. It was mostly because there was a different driver on the 266*, and I was used to the usual driver simply recognizing me as she pulled out of the Transit Center and already having it set to 1-zone when I got on the bus (after only having to tell her the one time when I first started using the ORCA card). Oh well, I'll just consider this as a partial repayment of the several times that I got a free ride due to a coin taker being jammed or broken.
* - And he was a couple of minutes late leaving the Transit Center, to boot. However, since he drove at a normal speed, as opposed to the relatively glacial pace that my usual driver goes, we actually got to my end point stop about a minute or so earlier than usual.I feel...: awake |
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I was planning to stay late today, but we all ended up leaving about 45 minutes early to go look at the new office that we'll be moving into at the end of the year. I'll miss the actual process of moving since I'll be in NC at the time, and pretty much the first day back we'll already be in the new place, as far as I know.
It's a fairly nice place, not too different for better or worse than the place we're at now, but the biggest benefit for me is that it's only 3/4 mile from where I live as the crow flies, and walking distance along the roads is less than 1.5 miles. The exercise + the savings on bus fare will be really nice. I like it.
For those familiar with the area, it's right at the intersection of Avondale Road and NE Union Hill Road in Redmond, near the Safeway and such, and only a block or two northeast of Bear Creek park & ride.I feel...:  pleased |
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I still have no interest in actually playing WoW, but I love these commercials.
I feel...:  amused |
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My original plan for this week was to work two extra hours each day, Monday through Thursday, and then take Friday off, since that's the day my plane leaves for North Carolina. However, it really sucks staying around after work for two hours by myself. Therefore, I think I'm just going to work an extra hour tomorrow, then one on Wednesday, then a normal Thursday, and then do a half day on Friday. That'll still give me plenty of time to get stuff ready for the trip. Heck, even if I'd worked a full day on Friday, I'd still have had plenty of time to get stuff ready to go, given that the plane doesn't even leave until 11:00pm or so, but it'll be nicer to have more time to just chill at home a bit before having to leave for the airport.I feel...:  blah |
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I think I'm going to not even bother doing anything about the computer until after I get back from North Carolina. My plane leaves Friday evening, and that doesn't really give me much time as far as ordering any replacement parts I might need or whatever. I just don't much feel like messing with it next week.
So yeah, for anyone who may care and who doesn't already know, I'll be in the Madison, NC area from Dec. 19 until, I believe, Dec. 31.I feel...: tired |
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Yeah... FB isn't very Wii-friendly at all. It really causes the browser to chug as I mentioned in the previous post, and the formatting is kind of crappy as well. However, worse than that, I can't access my FB inbox. I see the little indicator showing that I have something waiting for me, and I can click the link to go to my inbox, but when the inbox page loads, it's just a blank page.
However, I do seem to recall someone else recently talking about problems with the FB inbox, so I'm not sure if this is a Wii thing or just a general FB issue.
In any case, if you sent me a message via FB lately, just know that I can't get at it right now.
(As an aside, I'm almost beginning 2 c y ppl use txt spk 4 things like this. However, even so, I think I'd rather have my hand fall off from Wiimote-related carpal tunnel or something before I resort to that.)
(EDIT)
I switched to using the FB mobile page and it's a lot faster and more stable than the regular FB page. Makes sense I guess. Also, through that I can now get at my message inbox as well.
(/EDIT)I feel...: awake |
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We had our first snow day this week! Kevin also caught a flu, and I ordered Button's Christmas presents.
I was also in Clinical all week. I did a bandage change for a wound that was eroding way down into the tendon. The resident was really kind, it was very sad to see them in so much pain. In skills I'm going to end up taking a zero on our levels test. I'm rather depressed about it, since it was pretty much a 100 as long as you did them. But for that reason I'm sure she's weighting it less; I hope.
I have a few things to do to get ready for Christmas, mostly I'm just looking forward to the time off. I can't believe I'm more than a 1/4 of the way through this program. I'm still unsure about what is going to happen in June; I can not imagine spending another year in this place. That said, Kevin and I are putting down a carpet tonight. |
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So far it looks like I can at least do Livejournal and Facebook okay with the Wii browser, although FB is causing it to really chug. However, it appears that I can't access my email at all, because Comcast is apparently using something to power their web-based email client that the Wii browser just can't handle, which is rather annoying. As such, until I get my comp working again or until I get back to work on Monday, whichever comes first, I won't be able to check my email. Just FYI.
(UPDATE)
I found out that I can check my Comcast email on the Wii, as long as I use the Comcast mobile page rather than the normal one, similar to Facebook.
(/UPDATE)I feel...: blah |
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(Using the Wii internet browser to post this. It's going to be a pain.)
Well, it looks like my computer might be dead, at least partially. It won't start at all. It was working fine this morning, because I used it to send an email to work around 8am, letting them know I wouldn't be coming in today due to being sick (and this situation with the computer certainly isn't helping my headache at all). However, when I woke up about an hour ago after returning to bed this morning, I saw that the computer was off for some reason.
Details: When I press the power button, nothing happens. No beeps, no flickering lights on the case, no fans, nothing. My initial guess is that the power supply has died, but I'm not sure. I'm thinking of maybe going out to buy a multimeter or perhaps an actual power supply test kit if I can find one somewhere, but that won't be happening until at least tomorrow at the very earliest, as I don't feel like going anywhere at the moment.
Here's a small bit of weirdness I've noticed, however. Looking inside the computer, there is still a green light on the motherboard (which is a P4P800-E Deluxe, at least 5 years old) that remains lit when the comp is plugged in, so there is at least some power still getting somewhere. Also, if I unplug the comp, it takes about 8 seconds after that before this green light will go away. Now, when I plug it back in after this and try the power button, things happen for an instant before it goes dead again. The lights on the case will flicker for an instant, and all of the fans will spin, or at least twitch, before stopping again. This only happens the first time after I do this, though. Trying the power button after that first time gives the same result as before: nothing at all. At least, until I unplug it for 8 seconds again, then it will do the light flicker/fan twitch again.
For reference, the parts of this comp that were in it when I originally bought it back in 2004 are the power supply, motherboard, sound card, CPU (a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4), and the case itself (and I suppose the DVD-RW drive would also count, though that wasn't bought until a few weeks later, separately). The video card, RAM, hard drive, and network card have all been replaced at some point in the years following, so I doubt the issue is with any of those, at least I hope not.
Strangely, I'm not utterly freaking out over this, as I kind of would have expected to do. It will be annoying to be without a computer for however long I end up being without it, but that prospect simply isn't as big a deal as I would have probably said it would have been if you had asked me yesterday what I'd do hypothetically if my computer just randomly died on me. Maybe it's just that my head currently hurts too much to really care much about anything else right now. *shrug*
(Note: it took well over an hour and a half to write this with the Wii browser, so I doubt that I will be making any more posts until I have a working computer again. At least not ones quite this long, anyway.)
(UPDATE)
Was messing around with it some more and found that simply holding in the power button for a few seconds then clicking it has the same sort of effect as the unplugging it for 8 seconds thing described above, except that the green light remains lit and that doing it this way causes the light flicker/fan spin to seem slightly stronger than doing it the other way. That is, the lights flicker for a fraction of a second more, and fans that only twitched before actually fully spin a time or two.
However, once and only once (so far), doing this caused the computer to actually start to power up for real. It only stayed on for about 5-10 seconds before it went dead again though. No idea what's up with that.
(/UPDATE)I feel...:  sick, but weirdly calm |
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This is a rather interesting game.I feel...: awake |
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I figure that at least ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) owsf2000 will get a kick out of this.I feel...: awake |
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It actually made it up to freezing today, which is the first time it has done so this week. Needless to say, it certainly isn't that high right now.I feel...:  cold |
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![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif){kind=small}
![[Shortly thereafter, at a nearby bakery] ::CRASH:: ::RUMBLE:: ::VRRRRRR:: '... I don't know, officer. It just scooped up an entire rack of scones and drove away!'](http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/asshole.png "[Shortly thereafter, at a nearby bakery] ::CRASH:: ::RUMBLE:: ::VRRRRRR:: '... I don't know, officer. It just scooped up an entire rack of scones and drove away!'")
