Yin can be a real bitch

[ehowton]

A confluence of events (as is usually the case when we step back and take an 80,000 foot view) contrived to both create, and, in a mighty heave of chi at work, also destroy. I don't strive for balance, though I often encourage others to. On the contrary, neither is it a matter of 'do as I say, not as I do' as I tend to lean toward a more optimistic lifestyle. It wasn't always as such. For example, I wasn't patriotic when I joined the service. It wasn't out of some misplaced sense of duty, or wanting to serve my country. It was more out of a mixture of boredom and necessity. And a desire of tradition; to walk in my father's footsteps. What on this earth is just black and white? No, I became patriotic when I discovered what we had as Americans by spending time overseas. Its so easy to take it for granted when you never leave your mother's teat. And its these reminders that I am but the sum of my parts. So when I say that betwix MySQL & USB this weekend, Windows & linux, hardware & software...I've wanted to swear off computers forever and become a monk.

Perhaps one of those ale-making Monks in Belgium?

There are pro's and con's to everything. And nothing is ever as simple as just writing it all down. And these activities go back months. Years maybe. And its not a lateral timeline either. As I mentioned above, it was more a conflux of diverse and numerous pressures all bubbling to the surface which allowed for both the creation of my knowledge-sharing weekend activities bringing technologies together, and the unleashing of an avalanche of difficulties which resulted because of it. Suffice it to say, we're moving the right direction with things, and I will continue to unveil the master plan as it solidifies.

World Domination starts at home.

Part of this endeavor replaced my 22" NEC CRT with a 19" Widescreen Monitor. The NEC is in Maximum PC's Best Technology Items Ever. It was at the pinnacle of CRT technology (right before LCD's were actually able to start supporting decent gaming Frames Per Second that drax0r and I purchased these items. Massive, impressive boxes. I've used mine everyday since I purchased it in 2005, and couldn't imagine living without it. I usually keep it at 1600x1200, but its capable of much higher. In another example of disparate, simultaneous events, both the...unusual size & layout of my office coupled with the glass-top desk had me at a disadvantage with my behemoth monitor, and my boss gave me an HP 19" flat panel monitor for my laptop. I was impressed with the picture of the monitor, and its small footprint and announced that I would trade my $500 CRT for a 19" FP (lehah got one of these baby's a while back so I know he's familiar with the output of these monitors). drax0r was immediately interested, as he wanted side-by-side 22" monitors extending his desktop to an incredible 3200x1200! He bought me a 19" Widescreen Samsung SyncMaster 920nw at Sam's Club yesterday, and dragged The Beast home.


It's so far away!

At first, the FP looked funny sitting there. Unimpressive. And it took quite a bit of tweaking with my xorg.conf to get my resolution and fonts playing nice with each other. I'm also so very used to spreading windows and apps equally side-by-side and top to bottom (1600x1200 is a lot of real estate). Learning to utilize only the width is awkward, and scrolling is increased 10-fold due to the narrow nature of widescreen. On the plus side, its a very nice picture and very light.

I'm hoping drax0r posts a picture of his new "Command Center."

mr_dowg and glowdowg had a gathering at their house as well this weekend. Through all the difficulties every day brings by simply having children in your house, we made it - and perhaps it was just me, but it seemed to be the most sober of any number of parties I've been to in quite some time. The host had browned five pounds of ground beef and when they opened the kitchen, like vultures we swooped in for the kill. Yes, I killed myself some tacos. Those taco's needed killin.

And what better place to gather for a feeling of family, than in the kitchen?

Then mr_dowg pulled a rabbit out of his hat. He palmed me a Monster sticker! I saw it, I saw him - but words, they didn't come. I was speechless! So many questions...How? I'll let him tell you the story, but suffice it to say, it ended up on my car. (He also provided me with a Monster temporary tattoo, which I wanted to immediately put on my forehead for the duration of the party, but when I nodded toward him and demanded, "Lick my forehead!" so I could apply it, sadly, he refused :(


Monster-powered!

Comments

[bsdcat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, parts of our company are 100% LCD, but many other parts (including everywhere I've worked) is a bit more circumspect in the official purchase of displays. Judging from how many CRTs whose death I've personally witnessed, this nonsense can't last much longer, but I intend to switch to LCDs well before the company supports that decision (I'll take them home, and enjoy them there, when the time comes).

As for the Mana Potions - my mistake. I was trying to remember whether I'd posted them before or not, and a quick perusal of recent posts made me believe I hadn't. In any event, I finally had one on Friday, and it made for a fun-filled day that left cow-orkers and squirrels alike fleeing my presence. I acquired them online, and ThinkGeek now stocks them, so there are many more payment options than just PayPal.

Having seen some in the flesh, I can attest to how nice the glass bottles look, how reasonable the packing is to preserve same, and to the... unique flavor they provide. As I already have a flask funnel, I am considering repurposing the empty bottles as shot glasses - that could be a really neat visual effect with the right liquer.

Incidentally, I'm experimenting with 5-Hour Energy today - if I seem a bit wordier than usual (!), that might be why.

[ehowton.livejournal.com]

That 5-Hour Energy scares me (though I must admit I've been tempted to pour it straight into my wide-mouth can of Monster some mornings.

Those Mana bottle do look very fancy and would be worth the price alone just for those (I like your 'shot glass' idea). I just spent two hours looking for some wallpaper I know I downloaded (probably at work since I exhausted all online, and local resources) of a guy sitting at a desk writing, sipping on health potion as an energy drink.

[bsdcat.livejournal.com]

Update on the 5-Hour Energy, about 4 hours in: ugh. I've been jittery for a few hours now, and I feel like I had a few cups of coffee. I'm not very thrilled with this stuff, even though it seems like it shouldn't be much different than the Mana Potion (and contains probably less caffeine).

YMMV, of course, but now I definitely prefer the Mana Potion, and I'm glad that I have another dozen on the way. ;-)