Wayback when the internets was text!

Isn't it hard to believe the World Wide Web is only 15 years old? I started using the Internet in November 1994. How about the rest of you? When did you start surfing the web for the first time? Pictured is the Dell website from late 1996. [snort] Nice graphics d00d!

Thinking about our vacation

I'm really getting excited about our holiday trip coming up in just a few weeks. Darlene and I are headed back to the Oregon coast by way of Spokane and a couple days in Portland Oregon. We're going to Cannon Beach. Luckily, we'll get there right after Labour Day weekend, so the crowds should be long gone and the weather will be superb. We're spoiling ourselves with a stay at the Carriage House part of Stephanie Inn. That's a quick and dirty shot I stole from the panorama virtual tour in their site. The main hotel is to the right (out of frame), but the suite we're staying in is half of the top floor of that house on the right. I can hear the sound of the surf already.............

Karl's tips on life - there's no manual...

Parents weren't trained to do what they do, so forgive their mistakes. Conversely, kids don't have their own manual either........ so cut them a little slack.

"Remember, remember, the 5th of November"

It's funny how it goes - there are times when I buy a movie on DVD that turns out to be a stinker and wish I had just rented it, then there are times I rent a movie and like it so much I rush out and buy it. V for Vendetta is one of those latter situations. It's got a fabulous combination. Terrorism, fascist governments, abuse of power, stuff blowing up....... Natalie Portman... Created by the brothers who brought you the Matrix.

Kelp?

It turns out that burnt seaweed can make great battery material.

False advertising!

While at one of the local malls today, I wandered past the Northern store. This store has always bugged the crap out of me because us guys have very few places to shop at in the first place. So when I see the huge facade across the front of the store marked 'Northern - Women - Men - Kids', I get upset, because they almost succeed in luring me into the store with false hope every time. You see - this particular Northern hasn't sold men's clothing for at least 2 years........

Save your most common places in Google Maps

If you use google maps a lot and have a gmail account, try this:

While in google maps, click the saved locations link at the top right. You'll then be prompted to log into your gmail account, at which point maps will return showing you signed in. Now search for some of your favourite places. Once you're done, click the saved locations link again and see what has happened. Google has saved your searches so you can return to them quickly in future. You have to be logged in to use this feature.

"I feel like I been missin' out on life"

Britney Spears' reputation isn't super fantastic, which is why anyone who stumbles across this video is going to see her in a whole new light. And I don't mean that in a good way..............

I'm the internet?

If you spend any of your time getting news from the web, you have heard about the net neutrality battle going on. Well, wearetheweb.org is trying to heighten public awareness with their site, complete with a video to get you in the mood. No - not the video that greets you when you visit the site - the one you see when you click Watch the Video. Now I think I really understand what the issue is about, but after watching that video................... my mind has turned to mush. The worst part is.... the video doesn't really begin to explain what neutrality is all about.

Warning: The graphical display you are about to see can lead to spurting of coffee through the nose.

Best free software for Windows

I haven't done this in a while, but I just thought it would be nice to share with you a list of what I consider to be some of the best free Windows software out there right now (in no particular order):

Irfanview - a great image viewer program that can change picture formats, resize, do basic image effects and colour correction. I use it to format the images I use on this blog.

Firefox - just try it.

Filezilla - the perfect utilitarian free FTP program.

Autoruns - I know some versions of Windows allow you to change what starts up at every boot with msconfig, but Autoruns does it on all versions with no sass. Disable and re-enable stuff with ease.

AVG Antivirus - forget Norton and McAfee. This is free and it works. No - it's not perfect (there's no such thing), but if you are practicing safe computing, this anti-virus program is lean and will never (in my experience) cause any problems on your computer.

Paint.net - an amazingly sophisticated digital image editor from computer science students at WSU. It's not quite as powerful as some other programs but a lot easier to use and install. It is only for Windows 2000 and later and you'll need Microsoft's bulky .NET framework (you can get it all in one package if need be).

EasyCleaner - a registry cleaner that is a good, reliable and conservative. It will fix all major problems with a low risk of creating problems of its own. It will also detect duplicate files and help you clean up temp files to make more disk space. But its best feature is a regularly updated "blacklist" of registry values that should not be cleaned, contributing to its record of causing few problems.

SyncToy - this is a free synchronization utility from Microsoft (Windows Genuine Advantage required). It only works on XP - SP2. This program can copy, move, rename, and delete files between any number of folders and computers. The program operates on the principal of pre-defined folder pairs. You define and name these pairs and then when you want to perform a sync or other task, you recall one of these pairs and carry out the operation. Syncing can be in either direction and covers all options from complete sync to updating newer files only. SyncToy requires the .NET framework.

SIW - a great, free system information utility. It gives detailed information about your computer properties and settings, detailed specs for CPU, motherboard, chipset, BIOS, CPU, PCI/AGP, USB and ISA/PnP devices, memory, monitor, video card, disk drives, CD/DVD devices, SCSI devices, S.M.A.R.T., ports, network cards, printers, operating system, installed programs and hotfixes, processes, services, serial numbers (CD keys), users, open files, system
uptime, network, network shares, as well as real-time monitors for CPU, memory, page file usage and network traffic. It displays currently active network connections, passwords hidden behind asterisks, installed codecs, and more. Best of all - it's stand-alone, meaning you don't have to install it.

Blast from the past

For those of you not intimately familiar with my archives, I bring back a gem. The Mars picture NASA doesn't want you to see.

Technology wins again

I have a prediction regarding how music lovers might share music (or anything else for that matter) in the future and the entertainment industry won't be able to do anything about it.

The next version of Windows (Vista) will come with the capability to form instant ad-hoc peer to peer secure wireless networks. The catch is that all participants will need to be running Vista and need to have IPv6 enabled (which it will by default). But let's get back to the real story.

The entertainment industry has succeeded in terrorizing many people regarding sharing music, etc. on the internet. Here's what I envision. With Vista's new capabilities, you won't need the internet anymore to share music via peer to peer. You'll only need to meet with others in the same place with your laptops, storing your files. Now I realize the logistics of that are a bit more complicated than logging onto your fave p2p service online. But imagine the possibilities...... I can see it now..... Karl's 'Set Your Music Free' Coffee Klatch. First Sunday of every month, 9am til 1pm at the Starbucks on 4th.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this but............... thanks Microsoft!

P.S.: While I condone downloading music to audition new music - I urge you to support your favourite artists and buy their music - or at least go see their concerts.

Karl's tips on life - ammunition secrets

It's called a BB gun because they shoot ball bearings.

Zoom zoom

What happens when you sky dive with mini turbine engines strapped to your feet? You fly!

Cultspace

Ever wanted to start your own (play) cult? Or perhaps seek a clever cult out? The internets have heard your prayers - behold - Cultspace! My favourite cult so far: The Church of the Immaculate Sandwich. Some sample religious texts (edited for space):

Glory, glory, glory! Glory unto the Sandwich. It is the way and the path and the light. It is the moonlight through the clouds. It is our salvation from subsistence. The followers of the Sandwich pity the ignorance of those who know it not. Pity they who eat to live! Pity they who live to eat! Both of these have the bitterness of uncooked grain. They know not the Sandwich. Be you mindful of the taco. The taco is like unto a false Sandwich. Frown not on those who follow the taco, but do not bend to them. Stay true to the Sandwich. Heed not the taco.

Sandwiches have to be holy....... just look at that rapture on the girl's face!

You guys call yourselves music experts?

Rolling Stone magazine is at it again. I already mentioned a while back about their getting the top 100 songs list totally wrong.

Well, they decided to give a top 500 songs list a try. At 314(!!!!!!) is Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. That's their highest entry in the list for a Floyd tune. Hello? Anybody ever heard of a little ditty called Money? Certainly not the best song in the world, but surely worthy of the top 100, wouldn't you think? I mean, back in the day - everybody owned that single - even people who weren't into The Floyd at all. Nope - not according to Rolling Stone. But Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks is. As is Mystery Train by Elvis. Oh yeah! They're in the top 100! Ahead of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (163), Alice Cooper's School's Out (319), Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion (408), and Boston's More Than A Feeling (500). They're chewin' some serious peyote at Rolling Stone my friends........

On that note

Best atheist bumper sticker:

You keep believing....... I'll keep evolving

Dismissive

I found what has to be the best quote of the week, possibly the month:

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

More atheist quotes here, you even get to vote on them............... if you're into that sort of thing....

Work not surf-the-web friendly?

Do you like doing online research errr.... surfing the net at work? Are you always paranoid the boss will see and get the wrong idea? Worry no longer my friends, thanks to workFRIENDLY - the browser that looks like Microsoft Word. It strips the graphics that are the most obvious sign you're cruising the internets and has a clever mouse-over boss button that instantly replaces the web page with a fake Word document. The picture shows the Canoe.ca news portal before (at left) and in workFriendly (at right).

"Please..................... call me Chad"

Chad Vader......... day shift manager at the local grocery store. Yep - that Vader. I especially loved the acoustic rendering of the Imperial March music that accompanies a Vader scene. This is funny stuff. Part 2 here.

"Welcome to WalMart...... gimme that bag!"

WallyWorld WalMart is at least being more honest about themselves on their signs lately....... I think it's a nod to their greeters at the door.

OK - I admit it....... it's a joke. But I had fun making the sign....

From my bookmarks - Cars

If you're in the market for a new car and you live in Canada, I recommend a visit to CanadianDriver. I find their car reviews to be fair, balanced and written like someone who actually drives cars like the rest of us. If you're from the US, some reviews may still be of use to you, but the measurements are in metric. Keep in mind that some car models available in the-land-of-the-ice-and-snow are exclusive or may have features that aren't available on American models (like heated side mirrors on the Acura TSX).

CNN unintentionally proves Internet-as-tubes theory

The internet really is a series of tubes!

Idea wholeheartedly lifted from J-Walk blog.

Not so fool-proof after all

Amazing story in Wired about the so-called unstealable RFID key-equipped cars. Turns out, they are very stealable (no flatbed truck required), but good luck convincing your insurance company if your car gets stolen.

I'm Her Daddy

I love this commercial proving that you can't always make judgements on first impressions.

Proving my theory valid.........

Today I was discussing with a friend of mine, the theory that there might be an evolutionary / genetic / cultural correlation that ties stupidity to the desire to acquire things that are not rightfully yours. He had given me examples of people that had tried to sneak / force / whine their way into Calgary's Folk Festival this past weekend. Well, I may have the definitive proof. Enter the girl who, when carded by a waitress who had had her ID etc. stolen, tries to pawn herself off as - you guessed it - the waitress with the missing ID.

OMG! [knock on perp's forehead] Hello!?!?

Pimp my Smart Car

I knew it was only a matter of time............ The Smart ForFun2.

DRM - or my imagination?

There's a phenomenon I experience from time to time when I play a DVD that is driving me insane. There are certain TV series DVDs that just won't play properly on my 3 year old Sony player. It skips and stutters like it was dirty, but there's nothing wrong with the DVD. All issues go away when I play the disc on my PVR's DVD player. Lately I noticed some video artifacts while playing '6 Feet Under' on my Sony player. Certain scenes experience a kind of slo-motion effect that I'm sure isn't on purpose. I was puzzled as to why this would be happening, then it dawned on me - maybe these discs have DRM. So I put the question out to my readers and people searching the internets for assistance regarding DRM affecting playback - am I the only person having these problems?

Little miracles

If you think you're having a bad day, just consider this situation. A friend of mine sent me this:

My friend's little girl is a miracle and a half. She's going to be two in September and this is what she has gone through:

Born 2 months early
Open heart surgery at 2 months to repair two holes in her heart
Deaf
Epilepsy
Sleep apnia
And little muscle control

Cassie can roll over and occasionally hold her head up. She can sign to comunicate and is the greatest little fighter ever. They care for her at home which is basically set up like a mini intensive care unit. It's brutal. To help give herself an outlet Illisha has started a blog to share her experience.

[moan]

I had a debilitating injury yesterday that kept me off the computer (and home from work) pretty much all day. I had one of those neck / shoulder muscle spasm thingies. It was agony. I'm still a bit stiff, but I have a lot more mobility. Now I know how Frankenstein must have felt. In fact, I'm pretty sure the reason he moaned the way he did is because of very sore neck muscles. Which could have been avoided if they had just removed those bolts.....