No Solid Ground....

Win 7 FTW.

Oct 27, 2009
2 comments

I heard a lot about Win 7. Not only from the press, I have a lot of friends who downloaded and installed the RC version and have kept it. Once it was on sale on NewEgg, I purchased the family pack and it took less than a full day to get to me.

Mind you, all my computers have Windows Vista.

Upon installing, Win 7 scans your system's programs. If there are any program Windows feels may be affected or will affect the upgrade, the process will ask you to uninstall these program in order to continue. It even saves a copy of the report to your desktop. Here's what I've had to uninstall: ESET NOD 32, iTunes, wireless mouse software (on my lappy), and ATI software. I encountered a problem after uninstalling ATI software as it caused a corruption that made my DVD rom disappear from My Computer. The fix to this exists on Microsoft's site:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

After the fix is preformed, reboot your computer and send a warm thank you note to ATI for being kind enough to cause the headache to begin with.

Following this, you will need to re-initiate the install process. The installation process took a while on both machines I've installed it on - over an hour each. Before installation is complete you will need to enter your key and set the system time/timezone (which it snagged for me) and set up what type of location your computer's in (home, work, or public) these settings have to do with networking.

The first boot will take a while. Windows will be crafting your desktop, making some tweaks. Following, some updates will need to be installed. A reboot or two will be needed and windows may have some extra optional downloads you may want. Then, TADA, you have Win 7 on your machine.

I have found that the first few boots take a while. Keep in mind that if changes have been made causing a reboot, it may be finalizing that. Following both installs, I ran a fast defrag using Smart Defrag and it seemed to speed things up a bit. It may seem like boot time hasn't singificantly changed. The Change is that Win 7 finishes it boot once it's stable enough to be used. Vista didn't give a crap and booted while still loading everything tied in with start up.

Here's some pictures.

Desk1

Yeah, it's hella pretty.

Desk2

Microsoft has some preinstalled themes within the system. They also have a link to download more themes. Some are from companies, some are of countries, ... This one is from Jim Cameron's upcoming uberhit Avatar.

Desk3

You can put your gadgets anywhere! The start menu looks like vista, but it's much better. Any programs with saved files expand to show those files.

Desk4

Here's the themes screen. They've also gone and revamped Paint. It was necessary.

BTW. My default resolution is 1920x1080. Full HD.

QotD: Return on Aisle Two

Oct 27, 2009
4 comments

Have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?
Yes, but nothing perishable or anything nasty. If I'm not pleased with something, I want my money back. I bought a CD I thought I liked. I hated it and was kind of offended by it and I returned it. I was honest about why I was bringing it back and I got store credit.I used to do it when I was younger also. Part of why I was able to was because I knew the staff and it predated the internet(GASP!) and the listening station.

From that "other blog", The Facebook poll

Oct 1, 2009
2 comments

There was a poll revoked from face book recently. To that I ask of the deluded author: what the fuck is wrong with you?

Sir, these days, if you haven’t noticed, people aren’t as grounded as they used to be. They’re shaken, they’re stirred, they’re having problems thinking and they’re confused. They see death panels in universal health care and overlook that we have been living and dying under death panels for too many years (when you have no insurance and no income; your trip to the doctor is usually on a gurney in a hospital after you’ve fallen unconscious – trust me, it’s the medical plan I’ve lived with for years). They’re using words like socialism because they were enchanted by disingenuous members of the GOP that if they weren’t going to get their way, it was what we were headed to. Come 100 days into a new administration, these leaders and their pundits stoke the flames with cries stating that they’re disenfranchised because they’ve been asked to contribute a little more wealth to a country that’s been overburdened with wars, whose citizens have been stripped of their jobs and homes as a result of a demoralized financial system, thrown into utter chaos as a result of this system they claimed worked just fine. They’re (leaders and pundits) contributing to fear and paranoia of crowds who come to political rallies donned with firearms and crossed arms who are near their wits end trying to figure it all out and you have the audacity to exercise your freedom of speech by casting a casual spark?

You, are an ass. I’m certain you’re hard at work, feverishly brewing up some bullshit to serve because I’m also certain in the days to come, you’ll soak up every opportunity to be seen and interviewed by the press. You’re remedy is to conduct a ritual with which you preface every typed, written, and audible sound with a moment of thought as to whether your next mass statement is socially acceptable. If you find yourself lost in thought, by all means, seek professional help.

Taken from: The Last Place I Looked

I'm SMITTEN with this song. It's awesomely quirky.

Sep 29, 2009
2 comments

Listen to this ... or I will bite you.

06 - My Body's A Zombie For You

Dead Man's Bones

If you ADORED it as much as I did ... Download it here.

QotD: The Next American Idol?

Sep 27, 2009
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On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you sing?

I don't know. I do know that I'm limited. I had an odd voice, so... I bet it doesn't translate well into song.

I think everyone has a scale and sound and with a bit of training (to steady) most of us can sing.

I was just telling a neighbor that for me, it's more about tude & swagger, but lyrics also make a big difference. If William Hung had proper lyrics, I probably wouldn't mind him.

I've done Karaoke without getting booed off. So. 3/10? LOL.

Cheatin' bastard.

Sep 24, 2009
2 comments

I started a new blog.

http://owningchaos.wordpress.com/

This is the less insane part of me. :)

QotD: On the (Job) Hunt

Sep 15, 2009
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What’s the hardest part about looking for a new job?
Sponsored by Monster.

Let me be blunt about this. What I hate about looking for a new job is interviewing. It's awkward for me. I feel I usually interview well and I do my best but I hate some of the typical questions, mainly: where do you see yourself in 4 years? I'll tell you where I'd like to see myself in 4 years! Rich, not having to work, living in some sort of secluded and lush paradise surrounded by beautiful women and breathtaking views. That's where I see myself. I don't think any of us really want to commit to some sort of sadistic vision where 4 years down the road we may have made inroads, but we're still a slave to living a life that is only slightly more comfortable than hand to mouth living, pleasing people who in the end would toss us aside for ways to get the shit done cheaper. No, we don't want that at all. But we really don't have a choice, do we? :)

I WON .... I WON!

Sep 10, 2009
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Attention: Lottery Winner,

This is to inform you that you have won a prize money (YAY, a PRIZE money!) of NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND POUND (£950,000.00) (because a million is WAY too ... ostentatious!) for the New Edition 2009 (RONNY, BOBBY, RICKY, AND MIKE!) Lottery promotion which is organized by YAHOO LOTTERY INC (I've heard of brand diversification, but ... they're usually profitable ... ) & WINDOWS LIVE in conjunction with a few other internet providers.

YAHOO & MICROSOFT WINDOWS (Yahoo AND Microsoft Windows? Would this prevent future MS/EU monopoly cases?), collects all the email addresses of the people that are active online, among the millions that subscribed to Yahoo and Hotmail (which for some reason was sent to my GMAIL account) we only select five people every Month (I wondered where that antitrust money was going!!!) as our winners through electronic balloting System without the winner applying, we congratulate you for being one of the people selected.

TO RECEIVE AND CLAIM YOUR PAYMENT OF PRIZE
You are therefore advised to send the following information to the claims agent(Mr. Andre Bach) to facilitate the remittance of your winning prize to you at once.

1. Full name............
2. Country..............
3. Contact Address........
4. Telephone Number.......
5. Marital Status......... (Wow, if I'm married, can my wife win next month?)
6. Occupation.............
7. Company..............
8. Age....................

Msn Lottery Prize must be claimed not later than 15 days from date of Draw Notification after the Draw date in which Prize has won (Verbal diarrhea, but I'll excuse if you SHOW ME THE MONEY!). Any prize not claimed within this period will be forfeited.

Congratulations!! once again.

Please contact Mr. Bach for all necessary proceeds (you lost an ING) in receiving your prize.
Mr. Andre Bach.
(VERIFICATION DEPARTMENT MANAGER)

QotD: A Bitter Pill to Swallow?

Aug 21, 2009
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If you could get your exercise by taking a pill, would you? Why or why not?
Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

This QOTD is a bit far fetched. Exercise pill? Like speed? Get so hopped up on energy and tension you start running around and burning calories? Anything that would supplement exercise that takes away physical exertion would most likely be some sort of addictive and dangerous drug. It would have to elevate your heart rate, it would probably also have to do something to your musculature, probably fuck with one's endocrine system and since it seems that there are several pharmaceuticals a year that end up getting yanked for dangerous side effects or tattooed with warning labels because it also just happens to cause suicidal tendencies in 1 out of 10 people, I'll pass.

In the land of give, you get nothing...

Aug 14, 2009
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I can't stand people who always want their way. I hate when people expect everyone else to drop everything for them. "Oh you were watching this? Change it! I hate it!" That example is one I live with everyday. I'm glad it's family because I would have doused this bridge with gasoline and burned it a long time ago. It's selfish to think that people should bend to your will all the time. 97 percent of the time here, I acquiesce. Additionally, if anything is asked of me, I do it. Things are done for me, I'm grateful. I share and it's not tit for tat, it's unconditional. I'm not a saint, but I'm far from being a bastard.

Today, I'm tired of watching the same shit. I didn't change the channel. What was the response? I was told to shove it up my ass! If you're out there and you've read this, I have a question for you: Do you sound reasonable?