Do blonds really have more fun?

This is one of the best blond jokes I have ever seen, so I had to post it.

Oh, Back to school, back to school...

Not really school, work actually. I just love coming back from a long break and dealing with the fun of Microsoft software.

First, I had to unlock my account. Why? No idea.

Next, I get this gem from Outlook and the Exchange Server:

i is the new e

You thought this was just a techie geek blog didn't you? Wrong. That may be the majority of what is discussed, but today I need to bring up another very important topic to me, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

I know it is early, and there will be hundreds of stories concerning the bowl game, but I think this early one from the Press Citizen pretty much sums it all up. The title alone is a good summary.

Oh well, it's over now, we had several people over to watch with us, time to move on. I still would have liked to have seen it play out without the refs though. I was looking forward to a repeat of the Capital One game from last year.

Hopefully we find a way to keep Coach Ferentz around, and stick it to everyone next year. Go Hawks!

SupaKewl

First, before I start with the main topic of this post, do yourself a favor (by following these simple steps):

1. Use Firefox exclusively as your web browser (if you weren't already, and if so, why not?).
2. Install the Sage RSS reader extension.
3. In sage, add the following as a live bookmark: http://lifehacker.com/index.xml

Seriously, do this and you will benefit greatly. I often talk about new sites that are my favorites, but Lifehacker is far and away the best I have found in a long time. My last favorite, uneasysilence, I figured out appealed to my old, college, borderline-legal, hacker self. Lifehacker instead appeals to the current me who is always looking to simplify, make technology work for me rather than hinder me, and who likes well-designed and straightforward sites.

Using Firefox and Sage to view the site are just my way of prodding you to help yourself.

Okay, on to the story. Lifehacker had an article up today about messing with MSN messenger. I didn't think much of it at first, as almost everyone I care to IM with has switched to Google Talk. However, this site kicks tail. I really liked MSN messenger, other than the bloat and unneeded features it presented. Much like every cell phone introduced in the last 5 years. Thanks to this site, my MSN messenger window looks as follows: (sorry, no users are shown to protect the uninnocents)

I know what you're thinking. "Oh, that has to be 'shopped" or "He just downloaded an older version". Nope, this is the latest and greatest 7.5. Oh, it gets better when you see the message window (Again, user IDs have been removed):


Notice the lack of those stupid nudge, wink, and pack icons? Sweet.

If you want to trim it down even further, that is possible too. I just trimmed it to the point where I liked it. Now, I have a dilemma. Do I stick with Google Talk or switch back to MSN? It's nice to have the choice now at least.

If you are interested in trying this, click on the link I provided. The site is very messy, but all you really care about is the little download box on the top left. Download the latest MSN messenger, and the corresponding patch. Install Messenger, close it, and then run the patch. Happy trails.

Software sucks, it never works right 100% of the time

Okay, so this inflammatory title is aimed at those who think software is a completely rogue field of work. They argue that there are no standardized practices, no accrediting bodies, no unions and such. Basically all of the stuff that is in place for industries that are far beyond innovation, and are now simply jobs to be done, not created. They say that because of this software is completely unreliable, unlike other industries and products.

While I disagree with most of this and want to strangle those that say so, I do agree with some of their points. However, that alone would not interest me enough to write a blog post. What this is about, is that place where the average person spends 2.7 years of their life, the bathroom. Specifically, the place where you find yourself 20 minutes after eating Taco Bell.

The toilet has been around for centuries. Even the flushable toilet has been around longer than I care to imagine (I was too lazy to google for it after finding that 2.7 year factoid). So, if it has been around for so darn long, why aren't toilets perfect and foolproof? Who hasn't had to fix a broken flush lever, or something else in the tank? Is there anyone who hasn't had to do the old "jiggle the handle" routine to quiet a toilet that won't stop running? Why isn't every flush perfectly calculated, using the minimum amount of water to completely clear the bowl? Why don't I have sharks with fricking laser beams on their heads?

Moral: the next time you hear someone poke at software, tell them that they are full of crap.

"But each and every year we bust Christmas Carols"

I like free music. Who doesn't?

I was grabbing the latest free songs off iTunes today, and there happened to be a little hip-hop Christmas ditty, "All I Want for Christmas" by Dirty Boyz. Besides making me go listen to some classic Christmas hip-hop by Run, it reminded me of some other good, free Christmas music I found earlier.

That beautiful form of radio known as XM has been playing this awesome version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. I was going to search a bit online to find where to buy it. In doing so, I found the CD that it is from, and it was just made this year. It also just so happened that the site I found it on featured 2 songs from the CD for free download. Yep, the one I wanted is one of them.

I might actually buy the whole album I think, but for now I was just happy to have that song for free. Very cool.

Cheney is a Dick

I normally stay away from politics here. Not because I can't take the heat, but because I find it generally disheartening and futile. This is a perfect example. The headline is essentially stolen from Uneasy Silence, where I saw this.

What more could the current administration do to make us respect them less?