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Dec. 9th, 2009 @ 12:56 pm Still alive, just out of touch
Current Mood: annoyed
Short form: I can't access my email.

Long form: I use mail.com as the portal for my personal email. Have for years, and I've been mostly happy with it. But, as of Monday, I haven't been able to log in to my email account. I think they upgraded their system, but whatever the cause, it just won't let me in.

Not only can I not read my email, I can't get at my address book to get the email addresses of people who might be trying to send me emails, to tell them, hey, send me emails here instead.

So, let's do that here instead: Hey, if you've been trying to send email to my mad.scientist.com account, I'm not seeing them. Try my old rocketmail.com account instead. (And don't mention anything that might make the spam filter catch you.)

This might be as good a time as any to set up that gmail account that everyone else has been getting...
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Wallace, Newspaper
Nov. 25th, 2009 @ 06:49 pm The_Nerk Gets an Upgrade
Current Mood: happy
The theme of my life this year (aside from the "work sucks, I hate Canada" subtheme from the first half) seems to be upgrading. Though most of the upgrades have pretty much just been me catching up to the rest of the world. I bought a much-needed new car back in January. A couple months ago, I got myself a laptop, which is running rings around my I-forget-how-old PC. I even bought myself a new watch, that didn't come from Target.

But the biggest upgrade came a couple weeks ago, in the most unprecedented way possible.
I won a raffle... )
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Thermax Headshot
Nov. 16th, 2009 @ 07:31 pm Seeking free technical advice. Yes, again.
I'm looking to buy myself a new printer. Why? Because I've been wanting a printer/scanner combo for a while. Because my current printer is 5+ years old. Because I want something that I can use from my laptop. And because replacing the ink cartridges in my current printer will cost about $70, and it can't be that much more expensive to just buy a new printer.

So, I'm fishing for advice, as usual. Any thoughts? Things I should look for? Things I should avoid?
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Thermax Headshot
Sep. 17th, 2009 @ 09:03 pm "Welcome back! Oh, by the way..."
Current Mood: nervous
Tags:
First day back at the office. Discover that two of my coworkers have given their notice while I was on vacation. This can't be a good sign.
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Wallace, Newspaper
Sep. 12th, 2009 @ 07:39 am Greetings from the land of... hey, where's the cheese!
Current Mood: cheerful
Work has calmed down lately, so I get to take a vacation. Not just the usual trip to see the family (that's coming up in a couple weeks), but an actual, honest to goodness, go-somewhere-I've-never-gone-and-do-touristy-stuff vacation. I'm visiting friends in Denver for a few days, and they're showing me the sights. Already, I've been introduced to the world's most awesome Mexican-restaurant-hidden-in-a-strip-mall. Mariachis! Comedy! Pinatas! Cliff divers!

Upcoming plans involve mountains, gold mines, and dinosaurs, plus whatever else we can squeeze in.

Oh, and why were the airports so busy yesterday? I'd really have thought more people would be superstitious about that sort of thing.
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Jul. 29th, 2009 @ 06:24 am After not posting for so long, of course, this post has more in the title than the actual post
Current Mood: relaxed
This is totally me.
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Thermax Headshot
Apr. 8th, 2009 @ 07:47 pm This winter, I've been quite discontent
Current Mood: stressed
I'm still alive. Just been busy. And not the good kind of busy.

If nature abhors a vacuum, why does my job suck so much? )
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Thermax Headshot
Jan. 2nd, 2009 @ 06:19 am This just in...
Current Mood: geeky
Terry Pratchett has been knighted.

Seriously, how awesome is that?
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Wallace, Newspaper
Dec. 31st, 2008 @ 09:42 am Pondering
Current Mood: annoyed
Why is it, when a business partner's system does something odd, we have to adjust our system to accomicate it. Why is it never, "We can't send our files on holidays; you'll have to fix your system, so it can accept files that come in on some day other than Friday."
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Grommit
Nov. 24th, 2008 @ 10:58 am Cheese and Mice
Current Mood: excited
So, I'm getting ready for my annual Thanksgiving trip to the Land of Cheese. Usually, I just toss stuff in a suitcase the night before I head home. This year, though, I need to actually plan what I'm packing. Because, after Thanksgiving, I'm joining the family on a trip to Disneyworld.

I've been to Disney once before. Back in high school, our entire music program went to Orlando for spring break, and got to perform at Disney (and Universal Studios). But I'm really looking forward to this trip. It should be lots of fun doing Disney with The_Niece and The_Nephew. There are I few things I definitely want to do for myself, though.

First, there's the World Showcase at Epcot Center. I completely missed this on my previous trip, and I've been kicking myself ever since. No idea what, specifically, I want to see, but I need to see it.

Then, there's the Haunted Mansion. I enjoyed it last time I was there, and I've heard it's even better when they've got the Christmas decorations up.

And, there's the Jungle Cruise. Yeah, animatronic animals may be kinda cheesy when they've got the real things over in the Animal Kingdom park. But, as I understand it, the ride is basically an excuse for the tour guide to unleashe a hurricane of bad puns. So, yeah, I need to see that.

So, have any of you guys been there? Anything else I should be sure not to miss?
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Nov. 6th, 2008 @ 06:47 am But then, you all knew this is how I waste my life
Current Mood: sleepy


An 80's Cartoon Quiz



Score: 93% (14 out of 15)




Don't you just hate when you think it's a trick question, but it isn't?
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Thermax Headshot
Sep. 25th, 2008 @ 07:07 am Can I panic now?
Current Mood: confused
Has anyone read any of the Artemis Fowl books? Are they any good? I've been curious for a while, but it's suddenly become very important.

Apparently, the author has been picked to write a sixth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novel.

And, well, I'd like to know approximately what my excitement-to-outrage ratio should be.

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Wallace, Newspaper
Aug. 18th, 2008 @ 06:53 pm (no subject)
Here's a fun little site. Give it block of text, and it turns it into a word cloud.

Like the Declaration of Independence:


Or the lyrics to a song about Wisconsin (Thirty Degrees, by Lou and Peter Berryman):


A fun little toy, if you've got some time to waste.
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Grommit
Jul. 20th, 2008 @ 06:38 am The Hoser Has Landed
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: tired
What I learned on my summer vacation trip to Canada.


Oh, yeah, and I made it back, with no significant issues. At least, none that I've discovered yet.
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Wallace, Newspaper
Jul. 12th, 2008 @ 04:38 pm Take Off, You Hoser!
Current Mood: nervous
Tomorrow, I leave the country.

I'm heading to Canada. Specifically, Markham, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto where a bunch of tech companies have their Canadian headquarters. I'm heading there for a week of training on the language and tools I'm using at work. Yes, I've been using them for over a year now. But I know there are gaps in my knowledge that copied code and a language reference are leaving, like how to actually use some of these tools, and I'm hoping that this will help fill them in. (That, and I would have gone sooner, except for certain issues that kept me from getting a passport in time for the classes last fall.)

The senior programmer tells me that Markham is really boring. But I'm not exactly Mr. Nightlife myself. I'm bringing a new novel, my DS, and the D&D 4E Player's Guide. That (and Canadian television) should be enough to keep me occupied.

This trip is actually going to include several firsts for me. First time out of the country. First flight layover (I get to stop at O'Hare coming and going). First time driving a rental car. First time using an online "book your entire trip here" site. Which means there's all sorts of stuff for me to be panicky about, in addition to the standard travel worries.

Oh, and my cell phone apparently doesn't get coverage in Canada. So I'll be even more incommunicado than normal.

Wish me luck, folks! See you in a week! (Probably.)
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Wallace, Newspaper
Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 08:42 am Alternately, An Examination of Why Gamer Geeks Shouldn't Cook
Current Mood: sleepy
Here's an amusing article from WIRED...

What if people treated cookbooks like RPGs?
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Jun. 19th, 2008 @ 06:16 pm Play a Little God
Do yourself a favor.

Go here, and download the Spore Creature Creator.

I picked up the free trial last night. It's more fun than it has any right to be. I'm eager to see what happens when the actual game comes out.
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Jun. 15th, 2008 @ 07:57 am Blast From The Past
Here's a fun little text adventure game that [info]lordvor pointed me to.

9:05

it's pretty short, but... well, let's just say you'll want to play through it twice.
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Thermax Headshot
May. 18th, 2008 @ 03:28 pm (no subject)
Finally, someone gets to the true nature of Batman.
Contains NSFW language.

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Thermax Headshot
May. 6th, 2008 @ 05:12 pm Quick Movie Review: Iron Man
Current Mood: pleased
Actually, this sums it up pretty well. Except that I was expecting it to be good.
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