Archive for the ‘rambling’ Category
Happiness Costs 40 Large
About 7 months ago I made my last post here. How fitting that the day I decide to start writing again, I see a story on Gizmodo about my favorite wet-dream workstation.
http://i.gizmodo.com/5132451/emperor-workstation-priced-at-40000
In any event, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, so be on the lookout for some new posts regarding my hackintosh, Logic Studio, the Blackberry Bold, and Rockbox.
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Hot Throbbing RMA
After a long discussion with Ivan the Overclocker on Tuesday night, we pretty much determined (and confirmed my suspicions) that the CPU I got was flawed with faulty temp sensors. Just my luck right?
I have sent the chip back to NewEgg for an RMA and replacement. After spending all this cash on new components, I want to be absolutely sure they work like they’re supposed to. Typically, I would just let it go and continue to use the chip. Afterall, Intel sells CPUs and not thermometers. That said, I hate having that nagging “what if” in the back of my mind, and I know that’s all I would feel if I tried to overclock this chip without being able to properly read the core temps.
I suppose I can wait another couple of weeks…I mean, now that Big Brown is holding my package, it’s not like I have choice. My delivery is supposed to make it back to NewEgg by the 28th, so I hope to have a new working chip by the first week of June. My jealousy of Magic Mike’s flawless build knows no end.
Finally, A Good Week
It’s been a long time since I wrote a post that was more optimistic than pessimistic, more up than down, and overall less piss-and-moan. So I write this as I watch the Patriots during their comeback against the Colts. There are 2 minutes to go, Manning just coughed up the rock, and dreadlocked running backs are making the Indy fans REALLY pissed off. My man crush on Tom Brady has only been intensified.
Cisco acquired yet another company this week (Securent), making 12 so far this year, which bodes well for me keeping my job at least another 6 months.
Conference calls dominated the week, taking up approximately 24 hours in total, some lasting until after 11pm. It was easily a 65 hour week, but you know what? It wasn’t that bad. I’m not sure I want to get used to this sort of thing, but for the most part, I escaped unscathed.
The chore of ripping my CD collection has dominated a lot of my time. I keep 2 machines humming along, ripping and LAME-ing a disc every few minutes. At this pace, it results in about 20 discs an hour. It could probably go even faster, but the machines are not exactly quad-cores. Only 350 more to go…then it’s on to the vinyl.
REMINDERS, EPIPHANIES, and SELF LOATHING
This week, I was painfully reminded that I hadn’t updated this beloved site in about 8 months. (HI SCOTT!)
In distributing a new mix, I was asked how my renovations on the house were going…huh? OH THAT! Sometimes I forget how much of my life I actually put out here on the intertubes. Hold on to your hats, dear readers, here comes the update:
Cisco is really busy, I changed jobs within the company, and life is still good.
Though most of my nerdy career has been centered around the IT integration of acquired companies, I have moved over the business side where I am now integrating HUMAN applications and systems, otherwise known as people, as part of the HR Acquisitions integration team. The integration work in and of itself really isn’t all that different from IT when you boil down the core processes, but the level of intensity has been ratcheted up about 12 notches because of one simple fact: humans have feelings (damn them to Hell).
In the IT world, if a server gets pissed at you, it blue screens, or hangs..you may have restart a service, job, or reboot…not a huge deal if you have a decent disaster recovery plan in place. In the HR world, if an employee has a meltdown, you are either staring down the barrel of an illegally purchased AK-47, or worse, into the eyes of a litigating ambulance chaser intent on diving face first into the old Cisco checkbook. So that is the fine wire that I walk nowadays…setting policies & processes, integrating employees, and hopefully not pissing anyone off to the point that I have to go upstairs and talk to our counsel (or dive under a desk).
It’s a pretty cool job. I mean, it’s not as cool as a heli-board tour guide in the wilds of Alaska, but for a slightly overweight mid-30’s adult ADHD corporate nobody, it’s something.
Every now and again I find myself dropping one-too-many buzzwords (synergy, alignment, go-forward strategy…take your disgusting pick) which brings me back down to Earth and reminds me what a little jerkoff I can be at times. If I step back for that moment of self-loathing I can realize what is really important in all of this, and that is the group of people that I just helped. (This is the part of the post where I get sappy, so feel free to go get a beer and kick a cat). This past week, I tried counting the number of folks that I have (or will have) integrated into Cisco. I got to 10,000 and quit. You don’t think about it on a daily basis, but when you sum it all up, that’s a pretty big burden to carry, cuz it’s not just the employees that I affect, it’s their families. Roast that in your bowl, throw on some Ernest Ranglin and think about THAT.
This week was apparently a big-epiphany week.
Here are the other things I realized:
I talk too much.
I don’t listen enough.
Humility is not prevalent in today’s conversations.
I can make people feel very comfortable very quickly, but can creep them out even quicker with one inappropriate comment.
The right combination for drinking is gin first, THEN wine, THEN beer.
The previous drinking combination wicked brings out my fuckin Bawstin accent dude.
I am never even close to as important as I think I may be.
Flying first class as often as I do (just through upgrades) has the potential of turning me into a complete classist douchebag.
Crown Royal is a little slice of cold, golden Heaven when travelling for 12 hours.
I want to invent a caffeine patch…all the jittery goodness without the garbage breath.
Not sure why this post turned so introspective, but I guess I just never take the time to smell the roses as I get caught up in the 80 hour workweek. Maybe it’s time to align my inner strategies and create some self-synergies….you know, from the 30,000 foot view.
I make myself sick.
Why I Need More Sunlight
I’ve got the winter blues. There is no doubt about it. I don’t want to really do anything, see anyone, and can’t seem to get motivated in the least. I’m sure as hell not posting very often. So let’s do the recap, shall we? Don’t expect anything great here…it’s like that filler episode of Lost that just gets you caught up, but doesn’t leave you very satisfied.
I’m getting the Milton House resided with Cedar Impressions vinyl siding. The staff of Ecuadorians have been amazing, working in single-digit temps, eating lunch in the van, and generally keeping Naima, my faithful watchdog, on high alert. I’ve been promising pictures for a long time now, so it’s no big deal to wait a while longer.
Snowboarding has been decent this winter, especially over the last week or so with 2-4 feet of new powder (maaaaaaaaaan!). Despite my nearly separated shoulder and almost torn ACL, I have avoided injury thus far. Thank God for 800mg Motrin. In a future post, I will tell you all how I will never return to Sugarbush. But for now, the wounds are still too fresh.
In related news, I picked up a new snowboard setup: the Burton Custom X 160 board, with Burton P1 Wingtip bindings. Almost as light and fast as a 12 year old Caucasian boy dropped off in the middle of 125th St at 3am.
My 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee is almost dead. Time to start looking for a new (to me) ride.
Haven’t played poker in weeks…scheduling is a nightmare, and I never seem to be available. My work/life balance is severely out of whack.
I have a vacation coming up in a few weeks…and yes, I’ll be up in Maine riding yet again. Maybe next vacation I’ll go someplace exotic, like Tewksbury.
Maybe next time, I’ll write something interesting. Maybe it will actually have something to do with the title of the blog. Don’t expect much.
Goodbye, James
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of James Kim. What a tragedy.
Tags: james kim
Back to Normal?
So now that the major renovations are over, it’s time to shift the focus of this site back to that for which it was intended (was that English?). I realize that no one wants to read another self-indulging home remodel blog, so back to geekery we go.
You may have noticed that the message board was reset. I noticed that I had left registration “off”, so it got flooded with thousands of spam posts which, while entertaining, do nothing for the content of the site. A couple of SQL commands later and blammo, a fresh start.
I have been struggling as of late with BSODs on my main PC. After extensive MiniDump analysis with the Windows Debugger, I’m almost kinda sure it’s my RAM. So I come to the crux of my problem. Do I replace the 1GB of DDR400 RAM on an AMD 3400+ machine, or rebuild a whole new machine with the Core 2 Duo E6600, 800Mhz RAM and speed things up a bit? Let’s put that decision aside for a moment, shall we?
If you know anything about my basement setup, you know I have hundreds of CDs, a ton of vinyl records, and tens of thousands of MP3s. Add to that the hours of DV footage and thousands of digital pictures, and I’m like the poster boy a storage company. Unfortunately, all of these 1’s and 0’s are spread across the 3 drives in my system, 2 external USB drives, and countless DVDs. With this storage problem in mind I have been looking at Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. The prices of drives have been steadily falling, making enterprise-capable storage available for the consumer. I am gravitating towards the 2 TB Buffalo Terastation with built-in FTP server, RAID5, and multiple USB ports (for external drives, printer sharing, etc). At a price point of about $1100, it winds up at about $.50/GB, which isn’t all that bad. And for the added security of RAID 5, I’m all bout it bout it.
So therein lies the problem. Backup ALL my stuff and continue to work on a failing machine, or upgrade the machine and struggle with storage? Can any human truly be capable of making such a decision?
If I get enough cash for the blood I’m selling, I’ll let you know how this story ends…
Tags: geek, renovation
Does this tunnel have light?
If you can believe it, the upgrade to Basement 2.0 is almost complete. The carpenters have completed all of their work, and I’m just waiting for the electrician to install a few smoke detectors and a couple of pendant lights in the kitchen.
Stay tuned for the AFTER pictures!!
Tags: renovation
Just a Few Updates
I’ve added a quick navigation link to The Milton Project over there on the left.
Also, I added a few new pictures to the Kitchen, the Game Room, the Heating System, the Gym, and the Fashion Studio.
We’ve taken hundreds of pics, but I’m trying to post the ones that show the most impact. Unfortunately, this project has taken several weeks longer than it was supposed to, and even though we extended our “finish date” from July 17 to August 11, it looks like we may not be in until Labor Day. Not good, kids…not good at all.
Tags: renovation
Travel Bingo
I’ve been travelling a lot lately back and forth to Atlanta and San Jose, and if you’ve spent any time in airports, you start to realize that there are distinct groups of people. Yeah yeah yeah, I know everyone is an individual, but I don’t subscribe to that notion. My hypothesis is that everyone in airports belongs to a distinct tribe, or the Diplomats, as I call them, are members of several tribes. Next time you travel, see how many of these folks you can find, and then ask yourself which one YOU are…
For the purposes of this exercise, i may call out specific genders, but the principles apply to either sex.
“Too Much Stuff Guy” – the guy that is constantly juggling his blackberry, iPod, newspaper, bluetooth junk, books, magazines, notepad, laptop, fast food, and luggage. The one carry-on rule never seems to apply.
“Teddy Bear Girl” – The Adult child that feels like she needs to carry a Teddy bear with her onto the plane. Usually accompanied by “Subservient Newleywed Husband”
“Professor Huff-n-Puff” – The guy that repeatedly goes to the counter at the terminal demanding to be upgraded because he has “Super Ultra Platinum Status” and makes everyone around him know how upset he is. Usually combined with the following…
“Self Important Guy” – rather self explanatory, but also classified as “Loud Phone Talker” and “Cut In Front of You Guy”
“Compulsive Cell Phone Guy” – not necessarily self-important, but constantly checking his cell phone just in case someone calls, text messages, etc. If you sit close enough, you can listen in on the phone calls and realize that he has absolutely nothing of value to say and that he is depriving the rest of the airport of valuable oxygen.
“Haggard Mom / Loud Kid” – this dangerous combination should be avoided at all costs. Your best bet is to cast a glance of pity at the Haggard Mom. She didn’t choose this.
“Old Person” – Invariably, the first person down the gangplank that subsequently delays the plane by several minutes. This person also blocks isles, shifts around, and must get up to pee every 10 minutes. They should be stored in cargo.
“Hot Girl” – The elusive creature will never sit next to you, and she may not be all that hot, but you will know who this person is if you watch the eyes of all of the guys on the plane and see who’s boobs they stare at.
“Extreme Sport Guy” – Identified by his graphic tee, tattoo sleeves, cargo shorts, and pre-cancerous tan. Usually very fit, and therefore, more often than not, gay.
“Generic Business Type / MBA” – the 32 year old in the Brooks Brothers suit, power tie, latest Treo. Usually smells very good and sits in first class. Sometimes known as “Self Important Guy”
“Extremely Overweight Person” – Invariably sits next to you, even if 80% of the plane is empty. Needs a seat belt extension. Identifiable by the sideways walk down the plane aisle and the profuse sweating.
“English as 9th Language Person” – Usually travelling with 14 or 15 family members, this person seems to understand the nuances of the English language when it suits them, but never speaks one word…especially not “excuse me”
“Laptopian” – can be any age, sex, or race. Will work on their laptop in the terminal, before takeoff, and as soon as possible after liftoff. The thing I want to know is where they get their laptop batteries. Mine never last for 9 hours.
“Talk to a Wall Guy” – no matter what signals of disinterest you project he continues to speak incessantly. Usually avoided by staring at him and putting on your headphones.
“Hidden Psycho Lady” – characterized by abnormal height or width, the airbrushed wolf sweatshirt, and Pete Rose haircut. Shifty eyes and bad teeth round out this beauty. DO NOT SPEAK TO HER. She will unload a fury of life tragedies, and then feel like you are her life partner. When approached by one, stuff Sky Mall magazine pages down your own throat until you suffocate. It’s less painful.
“Hippie College Student” – Patchouli. Dreds. Doors T-shirt. Thousands of dollars of gadgets in their REI backpack.
B – I – N – G – O
Good luck!