2004-2010; Bad Poetry examples and non-technical bloggerings

A friend's talk of writing lyrics reminded me of my "mock poetry" postings, so I hunted some of them down.

For a while, I was into the whole Suburban Anti-Hero thing:

• Snow Thrower - The Stages of Becoming a Man : http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2008/12/snow-thrower-stages-of-becoming-man.html
• Snow Thing:  The obligatory "use someone else's tune" trick, so the reader has something to hum to while reading the piece.  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2008/12/snow-thing.html
• Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow - The Shaft: Not technically poetry, it may just be bizarre enough to qualify as really wretched prose. : http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2005/01/let-it-snow-let-it-snow-let-it-snow.html

Then I got to browsing, and thought it a good idea to provide you with a scythe with which to cut through the long grasses of my blog, so I continued on:

• Pluto - Planet or not...irrelevant : Of note primarily only because it is not about snow, it illustrates how a) I can rant about scientific discussions, and b) subconsciously it sort of is about snow, since the whole damn ball probably IS snow..., albeit if not necessarily water snow. : http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2006/09/pluto-planet-or-notirrelevent.html
• My Wife Has Succumbed to the Bean : If you actually know me, in real life, we probably met through coffee, so at least one coffee-related posting is required in this list.   http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2007/10/my-wife-has-succumbed-to-bean.html
• Connections Loom : Before you dive into Facebook, Twitter, or other such animal, consider... : http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2009/12/connections-loom.html
• Top 10 Ways for a Madisonian to Celebrate Her Birthday : A gift for my sister, who still lives in the ole town.  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2009/10/top10-ways-for-madisonian-to-celebrate.html
• What is Camping? : My take on camping fascism.  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-is-camping.html
• Mediocrity - What's the Problem? : A shout-out for my fellow mediocre yokels out here.  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2009/01/mediocrity-whats-problem.html
• Elasticity: 0  Entropy: 1 : A very short piece about the nature of our eventual demise, using rubber bands:  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2009/01/elasticity-0-entropy-1.html
• Why Men's Hair House is Improving the Human Condition : The reason you must get your hair cut there.  Tell your female friends to go in drag.  http://waukeshawestside.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-mens-hair-house-is-improving-human.html

Android (DROID) Game Trials Not Available in the Android Market; GAMELOFT

    These games are not in the Android market.  Navigate to them, via your phone, and make sure your 'Unknown sources' is checked on, to allow you to install non-Market apps.  [For you HTC Incredible users, go to Settings|Applications to turn that on.]

    Link: http://www.gameloft.com/android-hd-games/

    Article about it: http://drippler.com/htc-droid-incredible/gameloft-offers-a-try-before-you-buy-on-android-hd-games/

u-Verse;New upgrades for U-verse Total Home DVR

    This morning I went through and changed most shows to save only three items.  A few, like the wife's Oprah and Dr. Phil, I set to save five items.  This new functionality allowed me to add the NBC Nightly News (save 1 copy), Jimmy Fallon (1), Letterman (2), etc.  I dumbed The Soup and Attack of the Show down to 1 or 2 copies, etc.

    This will allow us to re-add shows, that my kids like, but rarely watched, which I deleted because they ended up with 12 or 13 copies a piece.

    Good times.

Dan wrote:

    We finally have the ability to perform the functions that we  had on our ReplayTV DVR back in 2004.

    I checked them out and they work as advertised.

    Unfortunately, the online interface is still rudimentary and does not let one edit existing recordings so nicely.  Some day... .

    Anyway, we can now keep a "scrolling" number of 'Clifford The Big Red Dog' without having to continually add and remove it from the line-up, as episodes build up.  I've set it to keep 5 of the most recent, and be done with it.

    Also, just like in the old days, we can set which series will "win" in a scheduling conflict fight.

    It's about time.

    - Dan


      New upgrades for U-verse Total Home DVR (from a message from U-verse received in my inbox):


AT&T is rolling out automated upgrades to the Total Home DVR <https://www.att.com/esupport/sharedSegments/glossaryDisplay.jsp?word=DVR> experience for all U-verse TV subscribers on a market-by-market basis.  With this rollout, U-verse subscribers will have new and more robust DVR capabilities, including the ability to do the following:

    * Rank the priority of scheduled programs (Series Priority).
    * Determine how many episodes of a series to keep stored on disk
      (Keep at Most).
    * Delete all recordings of a series with a single click (Bucket
      Delete).
    * Add channels to the Favorites listing while tuned to TV
      (Favorites Panel), and more.

 

U-verse TV subscribers will automatically get the upgrades by the end of July.  Each of the new enhancements are described below.

 

   1. *Series Priority* - Subscribers can now manage the priority of
      their household's scheduled series recordings using the Series
      Priority feature. When subscribers access this feature they are
      presented with a listing of all the series recordings which are
      scheduled in the home, and subscribers can rank the series
      priority to more effectively manage recording conflicts when
      they occur. Previously, the last subscriber-scheduled recording
      was considered the highest priority in case of recording conflict.



   2. *Keep at Most* - When subscribers set up a series recording,
      they will have additional record setting options to dictate how
      many episodes of the series are kept on disk. In addition,
      subscribers can also have the option of setting the "Series Keep
      Until" option for the recording while setting up the recording.
      Series recordings recycle based upon this setting. The older
      episodes are deleted to make room for new episodes.



   3. *Bucket Delete* - Subscribers will have the ability to delete
      all recordings of a series with one button click from the
      Recorded TV: Series menu, instead of deleting individual
      episodes. Previously, subscribers had to delete individual
      episodes one at a time.



   4. *Favorites Panel* - Favorites is a sub-panel to the options
      panel that allows subscribers to easily add channels to their
      favorite listing while tuned to full-screen TV.

 

*Additional Total Home DVR improvements:*

 

Easier ways to access and use the DVR features from your Remote Control, including the following:

    * The ability to delete letters using the Remote control Back button.
    * More prominent Clock display.
    * New order of presentation for recorded programs, by date
      Recorded, date Scheduled, and Settings.

 

Ability to playback recordings even after you lose rights to a channel.  For example:

    * If you record a program on HBO during a "free HBO weekend," you
      will still be able to view the recording after the free weekend
      expires.
    * Or, if you record a program on a channel that is later removed
      from your channel lineup, you will still able to view the recording.

My answers to Roku's Customer Survey; Select Questions

What would you tell your friend or colleague about Roku?

That, although it is not 1080p, the 720p is more than acceptable for quality. [Edit: Roku now offers a 1080p version for the same price as I bought the 720p version back in the day. d.r., 2011]. If one has a decent Internet connection (6m or better), one can stream flawless video. Unlike the PS3, which only offers Netflix, the Roku offers a variety of channels. Last night I was really in the mood for a just-released film, so I rented one from Amazon, via the Roku, and saved a couple of bucks from what it would have cost me to rent it via U-Verse.

Although a recent firmware update bricked my Roku's WiFi, the service folks were quick to respond and had a new unit to me within just a few days.

The service itself, plus the customer service, have made this an indispensable piece of hardware in my home.


Why do you prefer to use your Roku for streaming video? Please be as specific as possible.

Although I own multiple devices capable of the task (PS3, Wii, DROID phone, PC's), the Roku a) offers multiple, easily accessible channels -- the differentiator, as the others offer multiple channels too, but they are easier to find on the Roku by my family members -- and b) the device is dedicated to streaming video, making the remote control simple, and my family less likely to call me in to help them. My 10 year old is the house expert, as she should be.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

I try to get the word out, to my friends, via the usual social methods (even in-person), but they seem apathetic...until they see me demo the device. Having an online movie, of someone demonstrating the interface, that I could point them to, would likely sell more of your product. The new Netflix movie is great; it shows off the interface well. There should be one for the main home screen too, to remind people it is not just a Netflix box. I believe this to be key for you, at a time when the PS3, various Blu-Ray players, the Wii, etc., all offer Netflix streaming too. Roku is more than just a Netflix box. Oh, and if you were to add a server feature, that would allow one to play media files, stored on a network device (such as Windows media player or a drive hanging off the network somewhere), you'd be unbeatable.

I'm a fan.

Syncing Thunderbird Contacts with Gmail, via Zindus; When a contact won't sync from T to G

    I had a problem where a contact would not sync, to the online Gmail, from Thunderbird.  Turns out I had recently added that contact to a distribution list, within Thunderbird.  Removing the contact from the mailing list then allowed the contact to sync to the online.

    This is a known issue with the Zindus add-on.  I found it easier to simply delete the distribution lists and go from there, as I very much enjoy the synchronization aspect more than the existence of distribution lists.

    However, in my opinion the real solution is to create Google Groups, assign contacts to them, and then let Zindus sync those to your Thunderbird.  This is effectively the same thing.  The flow is simply different.  In this scenario, you create the groups, in your Gmail online account, and let them sync TO Thunderbird, wheres with distribution lists, you create them within Thunderbird.  Having the store (or main store, if you will) reside within the online appeals to me more anyway, as one is then able to access/maintain them from any capable device.

    For more information, see the Zindus-Thunderbird FAQ here: http://www.zindus.com/faq-thunderbird/ , or specifically here: http://www.zindus.com/faq-thunderbird/#toc-one-of-my-contacts-wont-sync .

Why Men's Hair House Is Improving The Human Condition

Two visits and counting, and the best cuts I've had in years.

After the trimming is done, one is turned around, and lowered for the wash. The removal of the hot face towel, after the scalp massage, is a rebirth, an emergence from baptism into a fluorescent world where Sports Center HD and Indian motorcycle wall art are one's spiritual guides. Blinking, one is lead to the gates of the cash register, willingly parting with one's earthly treasures, for they no longer matter, other than to contribute the continuance of the local environment, a worthy cause.  Exiting, one almost feels guilty feeling so good.  'Can I drive, or do I need to settle down with a trip to GameStop, to collect myself and ensure my feet are actually on the ground?', one wonders, observing passers-by and lamenting their unfortunate non-Hair Housed states of non-grace.  The drive home is ultimately performed by an upgraded human, with heightened senses and quicker reaction times.  One wonders if, while the towel was on, one's nervous system was enhanced, as a bonus service thrown in, like the jars of peanuts in the waiting area.

It just may be that The Men's Hair House is improving the human animal AND preventing car accidents.  No doubt, there are likely positive implications for a reduction in global warming.

I recommend you all get there immediately and do your part for your species and planet.  Add their number to your contact list, schedule an appointment, or simply walk-in.  All are welcome in the light.  Go toward the light, Children....

And thanks, Courtney, for another fine haircut.

See: http://www.menshairhouse.com/

Wiping a hard drive or restoring a PC to its original condition

I sent the below message to a family member who wants to donate an old PC, to Goodwill, but wants to ensure that his personal information is off the device prior to doing so.  To protect the innocent I have changed his name to "Skipper".

-------- Original Message --------

    There are two approaches you can take, Skipper.

    Around the time you bought that Toshiba, or a bit before, companies started supplying CD's, with the computers, to allow one to restore them to exactly the same condition, as when it was purchased, in case of a need to do so (such as hard drive failure, or like in your case, a sale).  If you can find it, you can run it, on the Toshiba, and it should a) wipe the hard drive, and b) reinstall whatever version of Windows was on it when you bought it.

    If you cannot find that disc, the next best thing would be to run a wipe tool, such as we discussed during your visit.  There are two flavors of usefulness -- sometimes available from the same tool -- as follows:

• Completely wipe the drive -- This option is the most secure, yet also the most frustrating for whomever buys the laptop.  There will be nothing on it, not even Windows.  Whoever buys the device will have to be savvy enough to be able to install an operating system (Windows or LINUX) onto the PC via their own means.
• Partial Wipe of Unused Areas (I call this the "surgical cleaning") -- This will place Department of Defense level wiping on the unused portions of the drive, ensuring that no utilities will be able to be run that would sweep in and recover deleted files.  This is the most useful, to the buyer, because they can get a WORKING PC when they buy it versus a paperweight that they have to fiddle with (see above bullet).

    It all comes down to what your mission is.  If you want to feel good about donating the PC, but really deep down do not care about the usefulness of it, once it leaves your hands, then the method in the above first bullet is the easiest way to go.  If you want someone to buy a PC that they can use, then using the original recovery disc, that came with your PC, or doing a surgical cleaning is your best bet.

    If you want to perform a surgical clean, bring it along, and I will gladly run the appropriate cleaning tools to wipe all traces of Skipper off that old workhorse, including removing contents of Documents folders, cached (stored) passwords and logins, etc.  Even if you find the recovery disc, you might want to run it at my house, where you can plug into the wall to access the Internet.  In that way it can run all its updates, to the modern age, from the net without having to fiddle with WiFi.

    If you choose to do it all yourself, I recommend any of the following tools:

• Active@ Kill Disk - Hard Drive Eraser - http://download.cnet.com/Active-Kill-Disk-Hard-Drive-Eraser/3000-2092_4-10073508.html/ - Not for the weak of heart, this puppy will get the job done.  It should function for both the full-wipe and the "surgical cleaning", although I've not tested the latter.
•  Easeus Partition Master Home Edition - http://download.cnet.com/Easeus-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html/ - This tool is over the top for your needs, but I include it here just in case you engage someone like me (IT nerd) to help you, as it is a free way of allowing one to have multiple partitions, which in English means a way to deal with recovery discs that foolishly separate the hard drive space into inappropriately sized C and D drives.  Don't download it, but if I help you out, I might, so I am storing the link to this, in this email, as a contingency for possibly using later.
  

Skipper wrote:

Hello Dan-Hope you are doing well. We talked about a web site that would allow us to clean out the hard drive on the old lap top before I give  it to Goodwill. Could you please send the information to me,

 

The Best

 

Skipper