Updates from May, 2003 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • adam 22:28 on 2003/05/30 Permalink  

    Respect the personal space, dude! 

    Stop & Shop is my local grocery store of choice. They’ve got self-checkout units there, so if you’re only buying a couple of things, you don’t have to wait in a line and deal with a cashier – you can just get in line, swipe, pay and you’re done.
    I equate the area where you do everything – pick produce, setup how you’re paying, and swiping your credit/debit cards – it’s basically the same as using an ATM. So, if I’m standing there, trying to swipe my card and punch in my PIN, then I expect just a little bit of respect from the person behind me – i.e. that they not be all up in my business and practically in my shorts when I’m trying to do my PIN.
    On top of that…. if you smoke like a chimney and smell like an ashtray, then stay the frell away from me – especially when I’m trying to enter my PIN while buying groceries.
    But apparently that’s just me.

     

  • adam 12:07 on 2003/05/30 Permalink  

    Dental fun 

    So, yesterday I had to go to the dentist to get a filling. I hate the dentist. I hate fillings.
    It’s nothing personal, just a bad experience when I was being prepped for my braces – they messed up on the novacaine so I got to feel some stuff, then they had to reapply and… well, it just wasn’t pretty.
    Since that incident, I’ve had two other fillings done by that same dentist – one with nitrous oxide, which was great, and another with nothing at all. By far, that one is my favorite.
    Yesterday I went in knowing that I might have to deal with the novacaine again, but hoping – praying – that it wouldn’t be a big cavity and that I could go without.
    I got lucky – it was pretty small. After a little drilling to clean up, I had the filling in and was out the door – probably 20 minutes in all, and much faster than the cleaning I had where they discovered the cavity.
    So, all this got me to thinking….
    Why is it that we’re so dependent on the drugs? Sure, it hurts when they’re drilling, but it’s pretty brief and it speeds things up – you don’t have to deal with the needles, and you don’t have to wait to go numb, and you don’t have to drool all over yourself all day after the appointment – all plusses in my book.
    I can see getting something if, say, you’re getting a root canal or a tooth pulled, but if it’s just a little cavity… After all, isn’t that how they did things back “in the day?” I know that my father-in-law gets most of his work done without any pain killer – and he’s been doing that ever since he started going to the dentist.

     

  • adam 01:49 on 2003/05/30 Permalink  

    Uplink 

    Ambrosia Software, Inc. — games/uplink
    An enigma in itself, Uplink is akin to a more cerebral incarnation of Ambrosia’s popular Escape Velocity series of games, with missions that interweave a threaded plot which is unveiled with each conquest. Only this time, you have only your intellect, hacking skills, and the computer systems you’ve compromised to aid you.
    I’ve had this on my drive since it was released, but only just got around to trying it out – and man, was that a mistake! Three hours later, my eyes are shot, my carpal tunnel is acting up, and I’m tired as heck – but I love the game. I’m going to register the game first chance I get, and I hope the game does well.

     

  • adam 09:47 on 2003/05/29 Permalink  

    New latex gloves to stop infections? 

    New Scientist
    Needlestick or scalpel injuries put healthcare workers at risk of life-threatening infections such as hepatitis C and HIV. But a simple pair of gloves that automatically disinfects the wounds could boost the chances of avoiding infection.
    It seems like such a simple idea…. Let’s hope it works!

     

  • adam 09:44 on 2003/05/29 Permalink  

    I love NY…. NOT 

    local6.com – ‘Blame Bloomberg’: N.Y. Man Ticketed For Sitting On Milk Crate
    The ticket says "unauthorized use of a milk crate." The fine was not immediately known.
    Ok, so between this and the pregnant people getting tickets….. I have to say that I’m not feeling the love from NYC!

     

  • adam 09:38 on 2003/05/29 Permalink  

    Only in NYC… 

    1010 WINS: Pregnant Woman Ticketed for Blocking Stairway
    …the Daily News reports that a pregnant woman was given a 50 dollar ticket for resting on the subway steps in Brooklyn
    Ok, how stupid is this? Did she refuse to get up? Did she tell the officer to f*ck off? No, apparently she just told the officer she was tired and resting – so she got herself a ticket.
    How messed up is that?

     

  • adam 12:19 on 2003/05/27 Permalink  

    Noah and his $20 

    Over the holiday weekend, we went to my brother-in-laws house for a birthday/graduation/holiday party. It rained. A lot.
    :noah: loves to splash in puddles, so he was dying to go outside – which we eventually let him do. He proceeded to get himself, and anyone within five feet of the driveway, pretty wet.
    Then he spotted some mud puddles…..
    Anyway, long story short, we ended up with a wet and muddy kid. After fighting him out of his wet clothes and into his jammies, he proceeded to play for a bit. And then he stank.
    Now, you’re probably wondering where the $20 comes in, right? Let me explain.
    Noah ranks getting his diaper changed right up there with eating vegatables – that is to say that he doesn’t like it at all. Earlier in the day, someone had given me $20 for something I bought for them, and it was in my pocket, so…..
    “Noah, if you let us change your diaper, I’ll give you $20″ I said, holding up the bill and “snapping” it to get his attention.
    He came running over, took it, and let me change him. Then he gave it back and ran off.
    Apparently, I did such a good job that he tipped me!

     

    • Joe Szilagyi 12:34 on 2003/05/27 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Nice! I keep slyly bugging Andi with comments like “Y’know, sure would be nice to have another kid…” and then I look sadly at our cats, and then down at her belly… I think she thinks that I’m completely off my rocker.

  • adam 11:49 on 2003/05/26 Permalink  

    Your heart is pure, and your mind clear, and soul devout.

     

  • adam 11:48 on 2003/05/26 Permalink  

    Keep in mind your most cherished dreams of the future.

     

  • adam 11:47 on 2003/05/26 Permalink  

    Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.

     

  • adam 14:20 on 2003/05/24 Permalink  

    Disinformation continues… 

    Error 404
    The Iraqi Minister of (dis)Information seems to have found a new job. I wish him well – I wanted to hire him myself, but I don’t have the fundage….

     

  • adam 12:08 on 2003/05/24 Permalink  

    IE keyboard navigation trick 

    If you’re using IE 5 or higher, you can use the Preferences to control what the tab key does when on a page – go from field to field in a form, or link to link.
    But if you have it set one way and want to do the other…. you can hold down the option key while hitting tab – that makes it do the opposite of the current setting.

     

  • adam 23:53 on 2003/05/23 Permalink  

    The secret to Bill Gates's power…. 

    MS Install Code gives you a peek at what really goes on when you try to install a version of the Windows O/S…..

     

    • Lee 00:30 on 2003/05/25 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Ah, a link to … nowhere

    • Freda Opoku 05:54 on 2004/11/23 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      I’m from Ghana. I’m part of the Heart Foundation programme in Ghana. Please Sir could you please help us with anything at all. God richly bless you.
      The secretary Freda
      fredaopoku2@yahoo.com

    • Victoria Frazier 21:50 on 2005/06/27 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Mr. Gates.I am a stuggling single parent of four and was wondering if you could lend a helping hand.I am in need of help immediately and about to loose my mind…..Please help me
      Victoria

  • adam 23:49 on 2003/05/23 Permalink  

    And this is just a bit too weird… 

    TechTV
    Ant Farm Case Mod
    Give your PC the creepy crawlies with this unique mod.
    There’s only before and during photos, but nothing about what it looks like after it was installed or how the ants took to living in a computer and dealing with the heat and vibrations.
    Either way, an interesting hack!

     

  • adam 22:29 on 2003/05/20 Permalink  

    Lego Mac 

    eBay has a PowerBook 5300 that’s been moved to a neat little Lego case that he built himself. There’s other articles about it here, one hosted by the PB in question here, and another over at theBBC.
    I’ve got one of these units at home, and a ton of Lego – perhaps I’ll do the same thing!

     

    • penny 08:08 on 2003/05/21 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Now why didn’t you think of it first….?

    • Lee 00:57 on 2003/05/22 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Oh, a silly case to go with the silly interface, all those icons and little bubbles that cause cavities just from looking at ‘em … and don’t legos come apart? Or do you have to glue them together?

    • adam 09:36 on 2003/05/22 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      If you were building Babar for, say, the YNHH Children’s Hospital, you’d glue them together. But for this, you could leave it the way they are – they’re pretty sturdy and hold together well.
      I like the idea of having extra pieces there, so when you have to reboot, or you’re bored, or stuck for an idea, you could build something on top of the computer, or expand on something you have there – it’d be kinda neat.

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