Get To Know Your Opera
I read a lot of tech news sites and inevitably about once a day one will mention the web browser Opera (pronounced like the funny singing). And even though its spelled differently, I guess I'm so used to seeing Oprah Winfrey's (the media mogul that has the women of America as her slaves (in another post another time I'll lay out my arguments why I believe Oprah is poised to rule the world-by force if need be)) name in print I automatically think the article is talking about her. This has led to some funny thoughts. Below are some of the more intriguing headlines I've scoured.
- Opera experiments with new "social press release"
- Opera Christmas Widget!
- 10 Things You Can Do Only If You Use Opera
- Opera Mini has inspired more than eight million users
- Is Opera Bloated?
- Opera is a full-featured Internet tool
- Opera passes the Acid2 test!
- Get to know your Opera
- Opera has great widgets
All Lit Up
It's the holiday season and the festivities have begun. Saturday I participated in the time honored tradition of trying not to break my neck falling off the roof or electrocuting myself on power lines, or more commonly known as "hanging the Christmas lights." When we lived in our town house there weren't a lot of options for decorating - basically a string around the garage was all I could muster but our new house has presented a whole new opportunity.
Mid-morning Mia and I made the journey to our local Wal-Mart to scope out the light scene. I didn't know really what I was going to do, but I at least had the foresight to measure our roof so I had some semblance of how many lights we needed. What I wasn't prepared for however was the range of choices that I was presented with at Wal-Mart. Speaking of Wal-Mart, is there any other place in the world you can buy a goldfish, have your oil changed, watch a plasma tv, and be greated by a friendly elderly person? Didn't think so.
Mia and I decided on some icicle lights. Now there are good icicle lights and bad ones. I really don't like the ones that hang down half-way to the ground and I really don't like the ones that actually look like icicles. In a moment of brilliance I also picked up some light hanging thingies that turned out to be awesome.
Climbing up the ladder I had several Clark Griswold flashbacks only if I fall it's to my concrete driveway... Not sure why I didn't choose to do this the previous weekend when it was literally 50 degrees warmer. I love to get on roof tops. I think every guy gets satisfaction when you climb to the top of something. I've been watching the Everest series on the Discovery channel and for a brief second on the summit of my roof I imagined myself on the summit of Everest... I had conquered my roof. I am man. I am awesome...or something like that.
Got the lights hung without too much drama and then came the part that I dread - the re-mounting of the ladder. Not sure why but I get really freaked out when making that first step back on to the ladder. It always feels like the ladder will fall and then I'll fall and I'll die... Made it down though and plugged the lights in and.....................................they worked!!!..............for 5 minutes...
Turns out when the box says you can connect 3 strands together it actually meant 3 and not 7...
Luckily only the first strand blew a fuse which by the way are the most ridiculous things to try and replace. I almost went back to Wal-Mart to buy a new set cause I couldn't get that stupid fuse out. Finally wrestled it out with a steak knife, put in a new one, ran an additional cord and presto, we have lights!
Now I just need to start working on convincing Mickie to leave them up all year...
Cheeseburgers - the Legal Drug
Besides the wheel, fire, and the internet, probably the greatest invention of all time is fast food. (Note: sarcasm is fairly hard to convey while typing without the use of "quotes" or the three dotted thingy...neither of which could convey the amount laid on by the last statement.)
I'm inclined to agree with Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame) that it is addicting. How else can you describe something that is horrible for your body but we consume in mass quantities anyway? That said I enjoy my fast food anyway.
Here are my top picks for fast food items:
- In 'n Out Burger
- KFC Famous Bowl
- McDonald's French Fries
- Jimmy John's Turkey Tom Sub
- Burger King Whopper w/Cheese
- Wendy's Frosty
- Fazzoli's Bread sticks
Running Across Iowa
Mickie and I recently acquired a treadmill and in the interest of not being fat have decided to have a contest. We are going to run across Iowa. I made up a couple of charts where we'll keep track of our progress.
The incentive just to win and get fit wasn't enough as we have also decided that the winner will take home a fabulous prize!
But we haven't decided on the prizes yet. It can be one thing that we both would want or it could be a different prize depending on who wins.
Tell us who you think will win and give a suggestion for a prize. If we choose your idea maybe you'll win something too!
Nintendo - Drugs for Kids...
I'm not quite sure if something has been in the air lately or what but I've had a resurgence of nostalgia for the old video games that I grew up with.
It all started a couple weeks ago when I found a web site that has emulated over 250 classic Nintendo games that you can play right in your browser. Nearly all of my favorites are there - Rad Racer, Ninja Gaiden, RC Pro Am, and of course the king of all NES games (Nintendo Entertainment System) Super Mario Bros. 3. Mickie then got me a throwback Atari system for my birthday which has 15 or so classic Atari games in one console. That really took me back because the Atari was the first game system I ever owned.
I mentioned in a previous post that my family was slow to get on the technology bandwagon and video games were no exception. I think we got the Atari system after the Super NES had come out. But I wasn't complaining it was a blast!
Mickie has an old NES at her parents house and I'm trying to lobby to get it up here. Like I need more distractions...
Today I found a list that some people had compiled of the top 100 games for the NES. If you are a Nintendo fan the descriptions on the list will bring back some great memories, frustrations, triumphs, and excitement.
Of course the number one game on the list was Super Mario Brothers 3 - quite possibly the best video game of all time. One of my friends and I would always try and rent it when I came over. (I'm not sure why he never bought it - probably would have saved his mom a lot of money...) We had to walk about 3 miles to grocery store (is dedication or insanity?) where it was available to rent. I can't begin to explain the excitement when we would see the yellow box on the shelf or the disappointment when it wasn't but it was a truly 'religious' experience.
Here is a list of my favorite games for the NES, what are yours?
- Rad Racer
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 - The Arcade Game
- Ninja Gaiden (I II and III)
- Mike Tyson's Punch Out
- Super Mario Bros. (1 ,2 and 3)
Future Blackmail in the Making
Since shifting my business model to be more focused on my name rather than that of my company I google my name every so often to see where I am in the rankings. It's also a good excuse to do a vanity search...
For the past couple of years the top entries on almost every search engine were related to a soldier by the same name who had died in Iraq. This was quite eerie when it first happened because the soldier also happens to be from Colorado. Since I switched to Wordpress I have noticed my ranking climb higher and higher and now I am the number one ranking on Google, Yahoo, and others.
While doing this I thought I would see where Mia and Mickie ranked. They were number one as well which wasn't a huge surprise because those names are less common than Josh. What was surprising was the text that went along with Mia's entry.
So when she's 15 and being belligerent I can pull out this picture and let her know that at one point the biggest search engine in the world had a conversation about her underwear as it's number one ranking...
In case you didn't read it, google is referencing a post I made a bit ago about how on a trip Mickie and Mia switched suitcases and ended up with each others clothes. You can read about it here.
Fortunately these things are volatile and should change soon.
Mega-What and Pixel-Who?
In the last few years we have seen the digital camera movement rise to unprecedented heights. I'm talking about my parents adopting a technology that isn't at least twenty years old. To be fair, they did get an HDTV before me...though that's not the point.
With everyone buying digital cameras and getting all hyped up about being able to print their own pictures there are quite a few misconceptions and a lot of questions that the basic consumer needs answered.
I used to teach computer classes at CompUSA and every so often I would instruct some first time digital camera owners on how to use their fancy new gadgets. The question that came up the most often was "what is a megapixel and why do I care?" That question is still a valid one today and I just came across a great article and diagram that I will share with you now.
Simply put, the number of mega pixels your camera determines the quality of the photos it is capable of. Notice I said "capable." Just because you have the worlds greatest camera doesn't make you the worlds best photographer... So how many megapixels do I need? The chart below illustrates the size of photo you can print with a minimum number of megapixels. For example: if your camera has 6 megapixels you can print a 6'x10' photograph that looks film quality. Anything over 6'x10' and you will start to notice loss in quality.
For most people the magic number is 8'x10' since most consumer printers will not print anything larger than a standard piece of paper. To print out a film quality 8x10 you need somewhere between a 6 and 8 megapixel camera.
(inches are on the sides and the megapixels are the big numbers in the colored boxes.)
Here is the link to the original article.
The All Consuming Consultant
The folks over at Simply Youth Ministry put on a great podcast every week or so. Their tag line is "just enough youth ministry so you don't feel guilty for listening." The podcast is very informative and is a lot of fun as well.
One of the running bits is about Matt McGill (one of the one-air personalities) and his current job search. Two of the talents he has procured are that of consultant, and as we found out last week, he could be an "all consuming fire" to those kids who would disrespect their youth leaders.
Based on this I whipped up a business card for him to hand out to prospective employers.
Idiots in America
One of the jobs that has to take the most abuse is the profession of video store clerk. I'll admit that there are idiots in just about every position that deserve their fair share of grief but other than a cop who in the workforce hears more whiny excuses?
I was in Hollywood Video the other day waiting in line on my lunch break behind some guy who had racked up 11 dollars in fines for late videos. His first excuse was that it wasn't his account (it was). The second excuse was that he didn't rent the videos (it doesn't matter, if they're checked out to your account you're responsible). Next he demanded to see in writing where it said he was liable to pay for late fees. Are you kidding me? What planet did this guy come from???
The line at this point was growing since there was only one clerk and she was fairly preoccupied at the moment. Through the whole debacle the clerk remained composed and calm which I was very impressed with. She ended up pulling out a contract that the customer had signed and showed him where it said that they would charge late fees for returning movies late. Imagine that - being responsible for your own mistake? Say it ain't so! Not in America!
At this point soundly defeated he decides to shift his attack to another avenue - the size of the type... All of us have been standing hear observing this for nearly 5 minutes biting our tongues and calming our own anger when he turns to the line in an effort to get some support - because its all us customers against the evil video store clerk - and warns us to watch out for this *nonsense* (like to keep the website family friendly...).
I couldn't take it anymore. I kept my mouth shut because it wasn't my business but as soon as he turned and addressed us I felt that it was now my business.
I calmly rolled my eyes and said "dude, just pay your fine and let us get on with life." To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He apparently felt that making all of wait for his ridiculous antics would somehow endear himself to us...
He then mumbled something about me taking her (the video clerk) side.
To which I responded: "She doesn't make the rules - return your movies on time and it wouldn't be a problem."
He then pulled a hypothetical on me and said: "But what if there is an emergency?"
I didn't justify the comment with a response but shook my head, rolled my eyes and placed my movies on the counter. He looked through the line for some support and when he found none he pulled out his wallet paid the fine and left.
I guess I was lucky he wasn't a psycho and I probably shouldn't have said anything - but this just reflects a growing attitude in America. Where did we get the idea that we are entitled to everything? What has happened to personal responsibility? Next time you screw up -admit it. Don't try and weasel your way out of it. Nobody wins.
Okay-rant over.