The Random Thought Pages Online

I’m entering week 3 of being an OS X user. I had grand ideas of making a bunch of posts chronicling my progression, but that just didn’t happen. Oh well.. I can give some observations though, of what I’ve experienced with my new 13″ unibody MacBook.

Out of the box- things just work, including iLife (once I installed it, ‘09 came on DVD in the box).  I really like iPhoto. I don’t know why some people had some bad things to say about it. Much better than why I’ve use on the PC for free. People don’t count iLife when they talk about the apple tax. Photoshop Elements for the PC is more than the whole suite.

OS X - is fast, really fast and handles multitasking very well. Expsose’ is a big time saver, getting the hang of spaces. It does what it’s supposed to do, which leads to my next thing.

Trust- The hardest thing to do as a new OS X user is trust it. As a windows power user, I have learned to never trust it completely. Let it manage my photos and music? No way… But that’s what OS X wants, no expects you to do. To someone that has been on this side, it may be second nature. Not for someone who just jumped out of the great glass window for the first time. We’ll see if my phobia subsides and I stop worrying about exactly where everything is.

MobileMe- It has some nice features but doesn’t have quite the depth that I’m looking for, coming from using Google Calender and hosting my own WP blog. I think they might add what I’m looking for, so I’m not going to give up on it just yet. Google Calender working as a webDAV server with iCal kills a lot of what I was looking to mobileme for. Yes, the push like email does work well, and the photo gallery is nice as well. I wish you could get a power user account where I could get real web hosting, not just iWeb. Not giving up on it, just trying to tweak it to do what I want.

TV- I have finally watched the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. It was sad to see it go, but the show went out with a lot of heart. I don’t think that the spin-off, Caprica can fill those shoes, but we will see. Kings looks good so far, hopefully it won’t do a Heroes and fall off the deep end.

Music- Haven’t heard anything new lately, except for some new electronic goodness at the home of @hulapunk. Seems like a dry spell but I think my girl Amel has something new coming.

Tech- I’m working on two things right now, retrofitting my existing PC to serve as my linux server for backups and streaming media, and doing OpenVPN with DD-WRT.

Sports- March Madness isn’t as fun when your team’s not in it. Hopefully, the Charlotte 49ers will step their game up and be back in ‘10. The Tar Heels are making a good run though. I’m looking for a better Final 4 showing than last year when they played like crap. Bobcats are hanging in there, probably wont make the playoffs but at least they are in the tail end of  the chase. Thats the most NBA excitement that we’ve had here since the Hornets left. It’s sad that we have to get excited about being in the running for being smacked around by the Cavs or the Celtics.

Anime/Comics- Looking for a regular series to complement Naruto and Bleach, even though I’m WAY behind on Bleach, but I’ll catch up one day. I hate that Newtype went out of business, it was good at letting you know what to check out from what’s playing in Japan. Final Crisis is over, I definitely need to read it all from the beginning. I might get the other books, like what was suggested on iFanboy. Adrienne has the new Scott Pilgram, can’t wait to read it when she is done.

L8ter…

The home theatre is ready to go, except for one thing. The 1 in the term 5.1, also known as the subwoofer. I gave the one that came with my system away to one of my boys, and was using another friends before. I’ve been doing some shopping around when I can.  I’m a Velodyne fan, but there are very few brick and mortor stores that carry them (Circuit City and Tweeter no longer exist).

Right now, the front runner is the PSB SubSeries 5i. Its normally $500, around the same price as the Velodyne, but a local store has them for around $350! Hopefully, I will be able to get one before they run out. It’s a great deal, but I have some other commitments in my technology budget.

one down, four to go...

After 3 weeks in the new apartment, I finally decided set up my speakers.  I wanted to work on it during a weekend, so that I wouldn’t feel rushed. I went out and got some speaker wire and plugs in the rain that preceded the snow. Put some music on iTunes and got started. I only got one speaker done, but I had fun! No TV, just chilled out…

It’s amazing how quick your hardware becomes out of date. My CRT HDTV monitor looks great and I would put its contrast ratio against any lcd or plasma. It only has one 1080i input which is fine when the reciever is hooked up. However, when you are trying to finish watching stuff on your old DISH box and your new TWC box, it’s annoying. Speaking of the reciever, my Denon has 2 component inputs. My 360 and my TWC box are covered, don’t see myself needing any other inputs.

Five years later, my home theater system is still kickin. Whenever I buy a house, I’ll get a new TV w/HDMI and that will force my reciever upgrade. Until then, in the words of 6040… I’MMMM GOOD!

It’s about time to go head to work in the snow, later…

We did it! America stood up for change and delivered at the voting booth! Not only are the conservatives out of power, but there is a black man as commander in chief. I never thought that I would see that day, especially in the prime of my life. To be clear, it was about voting for the best candidate. He just happened to be black. I was originally an Edwards supporter, its probably in my blog archives somewhere. I’m ecstatic about this new Congress and change of power in the executive office.

I would like to call attention to a portions of his remarks last night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

If change is going to happen, we will need everyone to remain engaged in the political system. We need to continue to pay attention to what’s happening in this country and how it impacts the world. We must demand accountability from this administration and this congress, just like any other. Things are bad for this country right now. Electing Obama was not a magic wand that cured everything. We need to pursue this spirit of sacrifice and service.

National service is not all about putting on a military uniform or running for political office. It’s about a giving of your time and effort of towards making this country resemble what we believe it should be. It’s about giving opportunities to others that make them able to succeed. Sacrifice isn’t about just giving up things. Its about being smarter when it comes to how we work, play and live. It’s about being fuel conscious when you buy a new car and maintaining it so that it stays that way. It’s about buying a home that uses energy efficiently and only consumes when it needs it. It’s about living closer to where you work when possible and using public transportation when available.

It’s about being a smarter consumer. The economy needs you to consume, but buy what you can afford. Use less credit, save your own money to buy items. We need to be willing to spend more money in the short term in order to save money in the long term on operating costs.

Obama has laid out his top priorities for the next 4 years and we will see more of that in the days and months to come. If you want to see this change happen you have to be a part of it. America is the great country that it is, because it’s people do willing things that are mandatory in other places. You have to option of how and where you play your part. If this election process was a part of a movement, then we have to continue to MOVE forward. We can’t become complacent after one large step forward. This new electorate has to remain active and engaged. I don’t see hope in the face of one black man. I see hope in the fact that an intelligent man called for change and the fact that he was black didn’t hold him back.

I look forward to being a part of a change that’s bigger than each of us as individuals. I hope to see you there too!

Yes, it’s true. The DVR is probably one of the best invention of the last 20 years. It’s a VCR with out the hassle and the contraptions that connect it. Anyone remember VCRPlus+ and its crazy codes, or those tape rewinders? How did we ever deal with that? The beauty of a DVR is the fact that you don’t miss anything. That also makes it the largest downfall to one’s productivity. Not missing anything means that you watch a lot of shows that you wouldn’t normally be able to watch, which leads more hours watching tv. That in itself is fine, the problem arises when you start to run low on space. Then you become sucked into this cycle of “I have to watch this before I go to work.” or “If I don’t watch something soon, I’m not going to be able to record something else.”… Not a good look when you’re trying to study for a certification or read for pleasure. Instead of working with virtual machines and tweaking my network, my PC has become an internet and media viewer.

There is light at the tunnel, however. I will combine technology and some simple tv schedule pruning.

Technology-wise, I’m adding a NAS to the network to facilitate backups and offload the media streaming burden from my PC. I will move my existing 320GB USB to the DVR to provide extra storage. Side benefit: This will make my transition off of Windows that much easier

I love media. Music, American TV, Anime, podcasts, the BBC, you name it. Sometimes, you have to prune the tree though. Here is the new lineup on the ampdigitl network.

Sunday-

Entourage- Who wouldn’t want to live this life?
The Unit. First couple of years were great, but its hitting the wall that all shows run into. How do we keep things fresh? I don’t think they are doing a good job. Might not make the ampdigitl network next season, even if CBS brings it back.

Monday-

Heroes. This show is getting way too complicated. People don’t die, new characters are introduced every week. I’m still interested, but it’s becoming too much.
Sarah Connor Chronicles. It’s a little out there. If you like the Terminator movies, you’ll fit right in.

Tuesday-

House. This dude is still the funniest guy on tv. I loved the amber death story arc last year.
Fringe. It’s over the top like Sarah Connor, but you have to suspend belief when you’re watching sci-fi. I definitely want to see where it goes
The Shield. I hate that this show is ending. It’s so edgy, feels real from the characters to the way that it’s shot.

Wednesday-
Life. Thank goodness they took it off of Fridays. It’s a great show that no one’s watching.
Mythbusters. Love the show, but I think they are running out of myths to do! lol

Thursday- Day for the DVR to breathe

Friday- Real Time with Bill Maher. Liberal media on the attack. It’s like our Fox News, but unlike fox news we don’t try to pass it off as news.

Saturday- The day for me to catch up when I don’t have anything else to do and the college games are bad!

I know there is stuff i’m missing out on, but that’s all I can dedicate time to. Let me know though, I might have some open slots soon!

I don’t normally call inanimate objects sexy, but I feel that the new VW CC qualifies! Inside and out, its definitely a luxury car! It’s the nicest ride that I’ve experienced in a while. Look here and decide for yourself…

Now, I’m not in the market for a luxury car but i could see myself doing some luxury computing in the near future. The new macbook and macbook pro are hot! They did not drop the prices, but that’s Apple for you. I don’t need a desktop replacement, my 1.8Ghz Core2Duo is running just fine. I’m looking at portability and price, so I dont need a pro. I will be new to mac so no firewire isnt a dealbreaker for me, but i see how it could be for the camcorder set. It’s another example of how a better standard loses out to better marketing (RIP HD-DVD among others)

We are approaching my favorite part of the sports calendar! Baseball is ending, College Basketball is about to begin, the NFL is in full swing and the NBA is around the corner.

I feel like I’m held captive by my DVR, but I’ll post about that later!

I’ve had this one nemesis when dealing with my dad’s PC… A poloroid sprint scan 4000 scanner. I ‘ve been dealing with this thing for years. First it was that my dad bought it off of ebay and didn’t realize it was scsi. Next mission was finding a scsi card… Then the poloroid software didnt work, then sprintscan didnt work, then we needed the upgrade that was rather expensive. Today, we bought the upgrade and it all came together! It worked! I’m so happy right now. Now the race is to get all of the negative scanned before the PC dies! I so hope to see a Mac in his future

Quick Hits

Dell Insprion Mini 9 is out. I’m thinking about getting with linux and using it a portable device until I can do the whole macbook pro thing.

Panthers lost today, nothing further on that topic…

UNC Charlotte is pursuing football! Should I get 1 PSL or 2?

Obama was in town, 30,000 showed up. I would have been one of them, but he picked the wrong day. Sunday in the south, where we go to church on sunday and there are churches on every corner? Plus it was a sunday during football season? If his visit was scheduled for saturday, there would have been a lot more! I’m still getting my t-shirt though…

Almost time for Entourage, gotta keep up with my man Vinnie Chase and Ari! *boom* Trying to go back to posting on the regular, help me out with some comments! peace…

= outstanding