Depressing Confession

6 comments (closed), posted on april 29, 2003, tags: software

For the last few months, I've been lying to you. All of you. Worst of all, I've been lying to myself. Well, no, I haven't been lying to myself. Just you. Maybe a little to myself. No. No. Just you. Yeah, just you.

Each and every time you've seen information in my "currently hearing" section (over there on the right), you've assumed that information was coming from my Winamp 2 plugin, CurrentlyHearing. It was not.

You see, I've been using my PowerBook at home, and my G4 at work to listen to music. I haven't used my PC at home for music since January. And since my plugin doesn't work in OS X (obviously), I've been using something else. The sick part is, I've been using this other program's ability to display output however I want to trick my site into thinking it's getting information from CurrentlyHearing. I am a sick, sick bastard.

I've been using Kung-Tunes. So now you know. Hate me if you must, but also know that I'm going to continue lying to people. You can't stop me!

A few more confessions: I like Mountain Dew, sushi, Jackie Chan, cheesecake with those fake cherries on top, Double-Quarter-Pounders with Cheese from McDonalds, and this confession list makes me seem like a fatass. I am not. I also talk to myself a lot. That makes me sound crazy. I am not.

The Summer of Music

3 comments (closed), posted on april 29, 2003, tags: tech

Yesterday on my lunch break I went up to the Apple Store in SoHo to watch Steve Jobs' presentation of Apple's new music ventures. I know, I know—geeky. I'm fine with that. I embrace it. I was actually excited to go. The whole day at work I was counting down the minutes. And it was worth going.

I think it goes without saying, if you've ever seen Jobs speak, that he's a charismatic guy. He's also a hell of a salesman. The presentation was great, and the new products even better. I think if they had had new iPods in the store right that moment, they would have sold one to almost every person in the crowd watching the broadcast (myself included).

I've been waiting to buy an iPod for months now. The new iPod design, new sizes, new prices... all perfect. And even better, they're right in time for my birthday (May 15, of course). Now I'm counting down until Friday when the iPods will be in stores so I can go and get a hands-on impression of them before buying one in a few weeks.

And, of course, there's iTunes 4. With the new iTunes Music Store (applemusic.com) built right in, AAC encoding and the addition of cover art, iTunes 4 is exactly where this program should be (see image). I must say, this makes not having a high-speed connection at home even more depressing. The music store is a fantastic idea, and actually works the way it should, too (see image 1, image 2). My only fear is that having one-click buying is dangerous for people like me (I've purchased several things from Amazon just because I could one-click them). I could potentially end up one-click buying myself into bankruptcy. So far I have resisted buying random crap, but I'm sure I will.

Currently the store has 200,000 tracks, and Jobs claims they're adding more daily. I think once this number gets higher, this store will become intensely useful and popular. And, Apple claims, it will be coming to PCs by the end of the year (as well as iTunes!).

Yesterday was an exciting one for digital music (and me).

One Bad, One Good

1 comment (closed), posted on april 27, 2003, tags: entertainment

I saw two movies in the past week. The first, Anger Management, was a huge disappointment. It felt like the only reason this movie was made was because Jack Nicholson agreed to do a film with Adam Sandler. In fact, all the jokes in the movie felt like they were written because Nicholson would be doing them, and for that reason only. If it had been some no-name in the movie with Sandler, people would have been outraged. It was funny for no more than a total of 7 minutes, and even then it wasn't funny funny. So disappointing. The only Adam Sandler movie I have liked in the past few years was Punch Drunk Love, and that wasn't even an Adam Sandler movie. I used to be such a huge fan. Bleh.

The other film was Identity, starring (among others) John Cusack. Despite a few awkward shots at the end (totaling maybe 40 seconds), I really liked this film a lot. Apparently most of the moviegoers in the theater didn't, since there was laughter as the credits rolled. I didn't understand why, though. This film was really well put together. The idea was nice and handled in a way that felt somewhat unique. The acting was good, the scenery and suspense were just right. I would definitely recommend this film.

In Other News...

9 comments (closed), posted on april 22, 2003, tags: random

VIRGINIA — The kid everyone knew would succeed in life is doing just that—succeeding. Again. Gregory "Greg" Robert Smith is a 13 year-old [super] genius. Attributed with "solving math problems at 14 months" and "reading and correcting adults' grammar by 2," Smith is preparing to graduate—cum laude no less—from college this May.

"Frankly, we're getting a bit tired of it," says Janet Smith, Greg's mother since he was born. "At first it was neat, you know, having a super-genius son. People would come over and marvel at his ability to solve really complicated math problems." Remember, he's been solving math problems since 14 months. "But now," Janet continues, "it's getting old. He's outdoing himself so constantly... it's getting boring to watch."

Greg says his eventual goal is to become President of the United States. "I think it would be a great opportunity to rule the country," he says. "I'm smart enough to rule the world, but I think that's a good start." When asked what Gregory plans to do after his presidency, he says, "Kill everyone on the planet and start a new race of super-beings like me. And make a flavor of Jello that has the taste of all the other flavors in one."

Naturally, Smith has no real friends. "He's god-awful to be around," says Hanna Runkle, one of Smith's college classmates. "Constantly talking about Jello. And he's not nearly as attractive as one would imagine a 13 year-old super-genius to be." Runkle refused to divulge the details of their friendship, except to say, "I fucked him and it wasn't anything special."

Smith also spends a great deal of time working for charities such as the Christian Children's Fund and is the founder of International Youth Advocates, which champions nonviolence and human rights. Aside from that, he does things normal 13 year-olds do, like burning ants with magnifying glasses and creating new versions of synthesized alkaloids.

No one knows what the future holds for Smith, but most people imagine it will be filled with money, scientific awards, and lonely nights. "Bill Gates' wife is attractive," says Smith, "and he's not even all that smart. I figure with my brain power I should be able to get a really steaming babe, or at least trick someone into blowing me."

Greg will receive his bachelor's degree in mathematics May 31 from Randolph-Macon College.

Cocoa Tastes Great

6 comments (closed), posted on april 19, 2003, tags: site

My only real experience writing a program was CurrentlyHearing, my Winamp 2 plugin, which I wrote on a PC using Delphi (yes, Delphi!). Even that wasn't really a true application for the most part. But still, it was an experience I wouldn't give away. And, in the long run, it ended up being quite fulfilling. Thousands of people are currently (no pun) using CH, and more people download it every day. As of right now, CH is on hold. The reasons are many, though it's mostly due to my current Internet situation, and that fact that I'm just not interested in trying to expand it at this time.

I have been, for the past few weeks, [fucking] obsessed with the personal project I'm currently working on. I'm writing an application for OS X. Compared to writing CH, writing this app has been a godsend. Objective-C and Cocoa are fantastic, and the [free!] Project Builder and Interface Builder are so intuitive and easy to use.

So I've been spending almost every free hour working on this application, hence the slow updating. I just can't pull myself away from it. You'll have to excuse my neglect of the site in the meantime. And, for all of you OS X users, you can look forward to a new app in the near future. Also, please visit Software[.maniacalrage.net] if you would like to become a beta tester.

UnReality

3 comments (closed), posted on april 15, 2003, tags: entertainment

Somehow I seem to continuously get trapped into watching Fox 'reality' shows. Luckily, this year I am not watching American Idol, but its place seems to be jam-packed with other crap. Most recently was Married By America. It ended last night with an absolutely useless finale. Not a single person got married.

I understand this is a Fox show, and shit is supposed to go wrong, but they could have named the show correctly from the beginning. Something like, Nearly Fake Married By Rupert Murdock or Fucking, Fighting, Awkwardness and More, Or: Tuesday Night 9PM Timeslot Filler #472. Granted, I knew what I was getting into. I knew the show would be ridiculous. I knew it. And yet I still fucking watched it. Why? What the fuck? Have I become unable to control my watching habits? Or is it the possibility of seeing a blurred out nipple and white trash arguing about shake-and-bake chicken that keeps me coming back for more?

Either way—Billie Jeanne: that fucking douche-bag friend of yours with the bandana freaks me out. Tony: Dude, you never fucking liked her. Ever. I understand. She's a moron. But why didn't you have sex with that hooker rather than just kissing her in the bathroom? When Fox pays for you to go to Las Vegas, pal, you fuck everyone you can. Jill: Kevin is a Jesus super-freak. You were in Playboy. That shit wasn't gonna work. You're too boobalicious*. Kevin: Forget Jesus, man, she's boobalicious!

* Please note that the use of 'boobalicious' here is not to be taken as a good thing. The woman had huge fake breasts. It was not good. I've been told this word makes me sound like a 12-year-old. Fair enough.

Taxes are Horrible

1 comment (closed), posted on april 14, 2003, tags: me

Hey, last year it was really easy. I didn't make much money, it was all on W-2 forms, and I used Turbo Tax on the web to submit a 1040-EZ form. It took 20 minutes, cost me 10 bucks, and I got my rebate in a week. It was sizable too, for how much I made. I was done by February 1.

This year, however, 3/4 of my money is 1099-Misc, which I didn't pay estimated quarterly taxes on, and Turbo Tax for the web is now 40 bucks and refuses to let me items for self-business and use my standard deduction. Now it's April 14, I owe a crap-load of money, and I'm not done yet.

Tomorrow I plan to go to H&R Block and see how much they charge. If it's not terrible, I'm gonna have them do the taxes. If it is terrible, I'm gonna send payment and file for an extension. Either way, this stinks. I hate taxes.

A Bit of Switch

4 comments (closed), posted on april 12, 2003, tags: tech

In the last three months I have used my PC three times. Once to listen to music, once to make changes to one of the source PSDs for this site, and once today to upload a file to bring the forums back online. Granted, I haven't had an Internet connection on the PC until today, but still—a year ago I was using my PC 8 hours a day (at least), and had never touched a Mac running OS X. That changed last November when I bought an iBook.

Until last month, I had been using the 12" iBook as my primary machine at home. Because we still don't have high-speed Internet access here I hadn't been using my LinkSys Wireless Router, so instead I strung a phone cord along the wall in the living room (allowing me to take the 'Book into that room and watch television whilst using it). It wasn't terrible. I started to notice, however, that the iBook wasn't quite fast enough to be a primary machine for me. A 700MHz G3, the 'Book lacked a little oomph when using Photoshop (especially documents with many layers), and the speed was noticeable when I was working with more than five applications at once. I needed more. I needed desktop-machine strength at laptop size.

Enter the PowerBook G4. Same screen size as my iBook, but a smaller, more compact size in total. Made of aluminum alloy and roughly half a pound lighter, better keyboard, and best of all: an 867MHz G4 processor. Exactly what I wanted. I decided to sell my iBook (which I still haven't done—damn it) and model up to the PowerBook.

After a bad start (the screen had a ripple in the upper-left corner), and a quick repair (took 3 days total), the PowerBook has been fantastic. I have gripes (it gets so fucking hot), but most are being caused by the current build of OS X. A new build released two days ago fixed a few problems, and future builds will continue to do the same. The PowerBook is fast (like with my iBook, I maxed out the RAM (640MB), but the pBook's RAM is DDR 2100—much faster), and fantastic in design. The new keyboard is much better to type on (the iBook's keyboard was spongy because it was removable to add RAM and an AirPort card, the pBook has panels underneath for those items) and the screen is noticeably brighter and more colourful.

As part of the upgrade process I also bought an AirPort Extreme Base Station (with modem) [see picture], since my PowerBook came with a pre-installed AP Extreme card. The nice thing is, even though Extreme uses 802.11g (52 megabit speed), it is still backwards compatible with 802.11b (old AirPort speed as well as the most common wireless standard) so I was able to have both the iBook and PowerBook connected wirelessly (made moving all my files over very easy and quick).

Because the PowerBook is the same general size as the iBook, I can still use my Griffin Technology iCurve stand that I got in January. The original reason for this purchase was to allow my iBook to function like a desktop, but with the PowerBook now the iCurve serves an even better purpose: dual displays. The iBook had the ability to hook up to an external monitor and mirror the image. But mirroring is rather useless for normal use. The PowerBook, however, can span displays. Not only can it, but it does it perfectly and fantastically. Now I can use twice the screen space when I'm in my office [see picture], and then simply unplug and move into the living room. You don't have to readjust anything—OS X automatically moves items back to one screen when necessary, and spans them to two when possible as well. I gotta tell you, I fucking love it.

I gotta say, the outlook for my PC doesn't look good. Hell, when (if) I get high speed access here I will definitely use my PC again... for Counter-Strike. And maybe to work on a new version of CurrentlyHearing. Other than that, well, it's gathering dust until further notice.

Whoops

posted on april 12, 2003, tags: site

The forums have been down for several weeks. Originally, it was due to the hacking that took place (and the subsequent server problems), but the extra wait was due to my laziness. A few weeks ago I purchased an Airport Extreme Base Station with a modem, and had yet to connect my PC to it until today. I promptly brought the forums back online thereafter.

I know the forums are absolutely useless to normal viewers of this site (and, for that matter, I don't really wish anyone use them for chit chat), but they are helpful for CurrentlyHearing support/bug fixes/etcetera. Because of that, I will keep them online. If you do feel like posting to one of the other open boards, feel free. I just wouldn't expect much interaction.

SlashWhere?

3 comments (closed), posted on april 12, 2003, tags: site

In the last two days I have been getting intermittent hits from Slashdot.org. The thing is, I don't understand where they're coming from on the site. If someone knows, could you please comment on this entry and provide me with a link? If this is just some sort of glitch, my fault.

Update: This seems to just be some sort of Spam-bot claiming to be Slashdot. I will ban the IP addresses when I get around to it. Oh, well.

A Little Off

1 comment (closed), posted on april 11, 2003, tags: entertainment

I've been a fan of Linkin Park since their first major release album, Hybrid Theory. Their second album, titled Reanimation was a fantastic collection of songs from the first album, remixed and changed by third parties (as well as LP). Reanimation is still a daily play for me. It's so well done—the production value is so tight and the sound quality high—and completely enjoyable if you like the genre.

A few weeks ago, LP released their third album, Meteora, which I bought shortly after. My initial response was a bit hazy. Like listening to Hybrid Theory for the first time, I found myself a bit uninterested in a few of the tracks, and generally pleased with the rest. Also like HT, there are a few tracks that I just didn't like right off the bat.

Over the past few weeks, however, I've begun to enjoy the album quite a bit. There's a real difference with this release (especially compared to Reanimation), and a few of the songs sound altogether new and register a mood I didn't expect to experience. Sadly, one of my favorite tracks right now is "Breaking the Habit," a song that has very obvious ties to electronic songs from the 80s.

If you're a fan of Linkin Park, this album is definitely worth picking up. There are two versions of Meteora. Both include a video inspired by the music and one contains a DVD featuring the making of that video (5 dollars more). I bought the latter, but haven't taken the time to watch either video yet.

Work Sucks

1 comment (closed), posted on april 11, 2003, tags: work

Work has been really hectic lately. At the same time, however, we've all been cut down to four days a week (and each took 20% salary cuts—fun!). I'm basically doing all of the development work for the company (and have for some time now), which is extremely tiring and stressful, as we have several large projects going on right now (most of which started long before I came to work for this company). I don't know the future of this place, but it doesn't look good. In the meantime, I'm doing more work than ever and getting paid less. It's not a likable situation.

Blast

17 comments (closed), posted on april 7, 2003, tags: site

Yeah, for the last day and a half, my site has been broken. You haven't noticed (unless you tried to post a comment), and there was nothing I could do about it. For the second time in less than three weeks, my host, HostRocket, screwed something up on the server and managed to take over 2 days to fix it.

A few years ago, when I signed up with HR, the service was fantastic. A startup company, HostRocket had few customers and great customer service. They would answer questions and fix problems within minutes. They were almost always available by phone or via AOL Instant Messenger. Their prices are great (always have been), and they offer a ton of great features and packages.

But, somewhere along the line, HR made a mistake: they became successfull. Now, years later, they have tons of clients. 50 servers, a data-center, a support staff, et al. The problem is, there are constant problems. Their support system has gone completely down the tube and their constant efforts to expand to deal with new customers causes nothing but problems for their current client base.

I've stuck with HostRocket through thick and thin. I've dealth with the outtages, the [somewhat constant] DOS attacks, the problems, as well as the great prices and services. I think, however, that this is the last time I will deal with their mistakes. If my site goes down again like it did this weekend, I will be moving to a new host.

Does anyone have a suggestion for where I should go (if I do)? I need PHP, MySQL (no less than an 8 db allowance), at least 350MB of space and at least 5GB of bandwidth a month. I don't want to pay more than $10 dollars a month. Unlimited subdomains would be great (or at least 5), as well as the ability to use all the normal things (phpMyAdmin and some sort of web interface for controlling domain stuff). Let me know.

I Drive No Matter What

posted on april 6, 2003, tags: me

Last night after visiting with Shawn, Evan, Steve and Ellie in New Jersey, I drove back to Katia's parent's house for the night. On the way back, the steering in the car seemed funny. As the trip—which is only about 20 minutes—progressed, it got more and more noticable. A grumbling in the front-right tire, and noticable pull to that side, especially when going fast. The last few feet to the house and up the driveway were especially rough.

I was concerned I had done something to the alignment. Perhaps I hit something but didn't notice? I couldn't tell, but I was worried. I got out of the car and walked up to the tire. In the darkness of the garage I realized I couldn't see anything. I felt for the tire and realized there was no hubcap. Perplexed, I walked into the house and asked if there was anything I didn't know about the car. No one knew. They did ask me, however, if the tire was flat. Of course not, I said.

Upon further checking (I actually looked at the damned tire), it was flat. I had driven for 20 minutes on a flat tire. And I lost the hubcap. Like an idiot, I walked back into the house and admitted that I am a fucking moron.

Digging

4 comments (closed), posted on april 3, 2003, tags: work

Today I spent about four hours digging through code. There was a bug in this code. There were several bugs in this code. Actually, there were lots of bugs in this code. Making matters worse: I did not write this code. Making matters even worse: the person who did is a fucking moron. Also: it's ASP code.

It's this seven step form for a client who runs this annual contest. People come, they use the form, they nominate someone. It's a seven step form. Seven. So, why, dear Jesus, are there 80 files? Why? 80 files! Seven steps! It's ridiculous. Digging through 80 files to find a single bug is like trying to find a certain rock in a pile of stupid fucking rocks.

When I found (and fixed) the problem, more problems cropped up. A lot more. And so, for four hours, I hunted them down, one at a time. Eventually I got them all. This is one of the worst parts of developing for the web—dealing with other peoples' messes. It's disgusting. 80 files!

The Weekend

4 comments (closed), posted on april 1, 2003, tags: me

We had one of those ridiculous packed-full-of-plans weekends. It ended up going pretty close to schedule, and by Sunday night at 12:30AM we had successfully visited MoMA and viewed the semi-interesting but extremely short Picasso/Matisse exhibit, enjoyed a spicy dinner with Katia's family, watched both Fargo (which I had already seen) and Bottle Rocket (which I had not), took all the laundry to the laundromat (and subsequently picked it up), and caught Dan Bern at the Bowery Ballroom. We aren't usually "make the most of the weekend" types, so it was nice to have a planned-out weekend for a change.

Unfortunately, since the day after bringing Oscar back from the neutering, he has been sick. His breathing was very rapid and raspy, and he refused to eat or drink any water. On top of that, he was extremely lethargic—barely moving at all. We had to take him back to the Vet, who told us it was probably just a cold (although I've been told from others that his lungs probably has fluid in them because of the surgery), and injected him with a loaded dose of antibiotics (I've also been told by others that the Vet did this because he knew Oscar's lungs were full of fluid and if he didn't give him antibiotics ASAP he could get pneumonia). He then proceeded to cram an IV needle into Oscar's side and squeezed in water, which created a large bubble underneath his skin. The Vet said he would absorb this water (and he did), but everyone I've told this to has had the same reaction: "What the fuck?" I've never seen a vet do this, and frankly I don't ever want to again. It was ridiculous.

They charged us fully for our visit (and for the antibiotics we've had to cram down Oscar's throat for the last few days), even though the problem was clearly caused by the surgery. Needless to say, we won't be returning to that place.

Oscar is getting better now, and eating a small bit. We usually have to feed him by hand, though—sometimes by smearing the food onto his leg so he licks it off, other times just by letting him lick it off our fingers—but he's starting to seem more interested in walking about. Hopefully by the end of the week he'll be back to 100%. In the meantime, Felix is completely back to normal, which includes running around crazy and doing all sorts of upside-down hangs from the scratching post.