Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Free Stuff

It's funny how people love to give out free things when they think there's something in it for them (or when there really is.) Here at work I have free subscriptions to roughly half a dozen monthly periodicals, few of which I ever read and maybe one or two which are vaguely pertinent to what I do at work.

Today, I found something unexpected in my mailbox: an invitation to the International Flat Panel Display Expo at "Tokyo Big Sight, Japan." Not that anyone would pay for my transportation or lodging, but I make light fixtures, fer cryin' out loud. I don't even OWN a Flat Panel Display other than in the various electronic devices that I own. Well, then there's that PSone screen that I hacked to connect to a VGA output but never finished debugging, but I digress. If I qualify for this I can't imagine who wouldn't be qualified.

To Buy a Dishwasher?

To Buy a Dishwasher?

We've been wondering how long we can get by before we buy a dishwasher. It seems like our only real reasons for putting it off are lack of time to shop for one and lack of space for the microwave, coffee maker and toaster oven, whose shelves would be displaced.

Maybe we would be overlooking an opportunity by putting our dirty dishes in a dishwasher, though. Buckminster Fuller often spoke of synergy. Maybe we should just let Bucky the cat do what comes naturally and benefit from the synergy of cat feeding and dish scrubbing. A large part of Bucky Fuller's life's work was about changing our lifestyles to conserve resources in order to afford ourselves better lives. Maybe Bucky the cat (pictured) is more like the man he was named after than we ever knew.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Mobility

Anyone close to me will tell you that I'm obsessed with being connected. My email comes directly to my phone, which also has an RSS reader, an IM client and a light version of Opera that does a pretty good job of browsing given the limited screen size, memory and speed. You might say I have a problem. Yes, I'm a little obsessed. Well, another problem is that when I have access to a computer I don't necessarily want to still use my cell phone to connect, and I don't necessarily have quick access to bookmarks email settings etc. on these other machines (nor do I want to leave potentially sensitive info on strange machines.) The solution I have found is certainly nothing new, but it might allow me to expand my connectedness OCD to computers other than my own. I'm talking about programs that reside on keychain drives. I just installed Firefox Portable to my little drive. Now my bookmarks, cookies and history all come right along with me and leave when I leave. I think I might just try one of the available email clients which can reside on a keychain drive. Hmm, then maybe an IM client. Ooh and, oh dear, I think this is going to turn into an exercise in self control.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Land Lines

OK, so I admit it. As much of a blow to my geek cred as it is, I'm still connecting my computer at home via a modem. What can I say? We can't get DSL in my neighborhood and it saves us about 30 bucks per month compared to cable (which we also don't have for the TV, which we rarely watch.) That being said, I didn't know how right I was when I said if I couldn't post to my blog from my phone it probably wouldn't happen. It turns out that our line has been so noisy the past few days that we're seeing speeds about 1/3 of where they should be. Ugh. It reminds me of browsing over a 14.4 modem back in the day, only this time the websites are built for higher bandwidths. Oh, the horror. It's actually faster browsing on my old Nokia using Opera and a GPRS connection. Unfortunately they won't be out to fix the line until Monday. Good grief.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Oops

Well, what can I say about my blogging activities lately, other than "oops." I guess I had a little technical trouble posting via email way back when, and if I can't do it from my phone, chances are I won't find the time to do it. Anyway, guess I'll try to get the momentum going again. Welcome back.