Budweiser gets props from me for using the Chemical Brothers track, Galvanize, in their latest commercial, which I saw during the gold medal hockey finals this morning. Been thinking of picking up the album, Push the Button, for a while now. Cool to see it getting some attention.
Month: February 2006
RAM += 512MB;
You’ll want to skip this post if geeky stuff doesn’t interest you (shut it Cam, I can see that smirk 🙂
Added 512MB of RAM to my system bringing me to 1.2 GB (the first upgrade since I bought the machine), and the difference has been amazing. It’s been particularly noticable in iPhoto: where before I’d be waiting about half a second for the back and forward buttons, they’re now close to instant. Web browsing is also much faster. Switching between programs is quicker too. It really feels now as though I’m floating through my computing experience now. Everything is so snappy. I guess my 640MB really was limiting me. This seems ridiculous at first blush. The old Mac OS 9 ran fine on a fraction of that. But, then again, under OS X I typically have no fewer than 10 apps open simultaneously (right now: Safari, iPhoto, Mail, iTunes, Word, BitTorrent, Finder, Adobe Photoshop CS, TextWrangler and Address Book) and usually closer 15-20, which would be unheard of before. Time marches on, and so do my needs, I guess.
Here’s the complete stats: Power Mac G4 Quicksilver 2001. Upgraded: CPU (single 733MHz->dual 1.6 GHz, $405), memory (128MB->1.2 GB, $140), optical drive (8x CD-RW updated -> 16x DVD-RW, $52), hard drive (40GB IDE -> 250 GB SATA, $200 [includes SATA controller card and drive]), video card (32MB GeForce2 MX -> 128MB Radeon 9000 Pro, $149). 17″ LCD (1280×1024) + 15″ Sony CRT (1152×870) (donated), 802.11b wireless card, $70. Total: $1016. /Easily/ worth it.
Pontiac G6
My mini review: The 2006 Pontiac G6 is a fun car to drive, compact enough to get into those small parking spots but with enough juice to test the head rests when you need to pass. It has some nice ergonomic touches including an armrest-trunk-pop, easily accessible status info, a readable dash and what I’ll call direct-manipulation air vents. One fun aspect is the keyless remote. When you unlock the car, the reverse lights go on, freaking out anyone who’s nearby. I had the car for a week and found the effect disconcerting right up until I returned it, i.e. “is that car going to reverse over me? better get the hell out of the way!” On the negative side, I think the cruise control, uh, controls, were built for elves: in order to set the speed I had to press this ridiculously small button. But other that small nitpick (ha), it’s a good ride, and handles amazingly well on dirt 😀
What the hell….
What’s the deal? Is life just cheap in Iraq? What is possibly worth this kind of thing? Iraq shrine bomb aftermath leaves 130 dead.
Memetastic
I don’t normally do these sorts of things, but I was tagged by Alison, so it’s not like I had a choice.
Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Busboy/Cashier
2. Lawn mower
3. I/T Consultant
4. Babysitter
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
2. Crimson Tide (1995)
3. The Game (1997)
4. The Princess Bride (1987)
Four places I’ve lived:
1. Toronto – 1998, co-op workterm, roomies with two students studying naturopathy
2. Ottawa – 2000, co-op workterm, with roomies Greg and Tim
3. Redmond – 2001, another co-op workterm, this time working for The Man
4. Victoria – most of my life
Four TV shows I love:
1. Muffy Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. Firefly
3. Veronica Mars – dark, funny, pop-culture skewering
4. Uh… that’s it
Four places I’ve vacationed:
1. Trinidad – last there when I was 13
2. San Francisco
3. Calgary
4. Southampton
Four of my favourite dishes:
1. Brown chicken curry by Mom
2. Spaghetti and thick tomato sauce with cubes of slightly melted, aged cheddar
3. Chicken red curry at Pad Thai in Sarasota
4. Jerk chicken fajitas
Four sites I visit daily:
1. Whedonesque
2. Daring Fireball
3. CBC
4. Google News
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Hawaii
2. Blackcomb/Whistler
3. Maracas Beach
4. Leesville (tongue, as they say, firmly in cheek)
Four bloggers I am tagging:
1. Cameron
2. Jim
3. Patrícia
4. Mavis
Home
Yep, home again home again jiggedy jig. With running nose and headache in tow. Leesville wasn’t nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. Sure, it was a small town, but there were restaurants, and it wasn’t (entirely) made of dirt. Plus, there were hills and it’s a special treat to see those, living in flatland as it were. Well, off to bed now. Will try to write more tomorrow.
Here’s your sign
Oh, I’m sure you could find it if you looked hard enough.
Watch out for the needles
Credit to Jeff for spotting both of these gems today in Leesville.
Update to the Update
Okay, so my last post is probably no longer accurate — it’s now looking like I’ll be coming back on a midafternoon flight on Friday. Should be wrapped up all the install/training tomorrow, but we’ll leave Friday just in case.
Leesville Update
Up at 5am yesterday, again today. Will probably be in Leesville until tomorrow night. Work is going.. well, we’ve had a number of challenges but I think it’s finally coming together *crosses fingers*. 🙂
The pics
Here’s those pictures I tried to post last night. The first one is from the flight from Tampa to Memphis; the second is arrival at Alexandria International Airport (the first airport I’ve ever landed at where they do a U-turn in place and head the opposite direction on the same strip just landed on), and the rest are of my glorious hotel room. 🙂
