I really, really needed a laugh this morning. Luckily, Frenzied Daddy provided me with one.
I think the manufacturer in question should make a car called “This”…
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Stress Relief, Geek-Style
This has not been a good week, as you may have noticed or been privy to the details of. Today was something of a capper to the trend, leading me to a state of aggravation and frustration.
One of the ways I deal with intense frustration is to build a computer.
I know what you’re thinking: “Gee, Karel. Building a computer can be a challenging, frustrating experience. Why would you do this to improve your mood?” I’m so glad you asked, neighbor. You see, I’m really good at building computers. Sure, it’s frustrating at times, but the frustrations of a computer build are generally fixable in some fashion. Mind you, sometimes the fix is to throw out half of the parts and/or start the install process all over again, but there’s almost always a fix of some sort.
Today I learned exactly how salvageable those HPs the company’s been buying really are. (In case you’re wondering, the answer is “somewhat.” Just don’t ask me to transplant the guts of any of those no-AGP-slot abominations they’ve been shipping us the last two years…) With an old Matrox dual-head card, a first-generation Soundblaster Live, a chassis I had laying around and a very large hard drive, I have something of an interesting piece of work cobbled together now.
Now, of course, I have to decide what I’m going to do with it. That’s almost as fun as actually building the thing…
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Can I nuke and repave more than just the computer?
So let’s go through the rundown of today’s annoyances, just for kicks:
- The copy of Napster on one of the FM studio computers. Argh.
- The copy of Limewire on one of morning show hosts’ computers. Double argh.
- The complete inability of an out-of-office client to follow very, very simple instructions. “Click this link. Click this next link. See files? Good.” Apparently the second step is beyond their ken. Triple argh.
- The utter discombobulation of the print system on one particular computer, to the point where the only way I’m going to get it printing again is to throw it on the bench first thing tomorrow for a nuke-and-repave job. Extra quadruple argh with a cherry on top. And I don’t like cherries.
- People who use other people as a buffer for tech support calls. Hi, I’m not an ogre, and I really appreciate not having to go through an extra layer of communication when there’s a problem that needs fixing, so stop having other people make your damned support calls, okay? Argh quintuplets.
- Impossible and/or conflicting mandates from management. Argh, argh, argh, argh, argh and goddamned argh.
And this is one of the better tech jobs available. Maybe I really am in the wrong line of work…
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28 Days Later (Than Right Now)
In case you were wondering what to get the geek who has everything (and by “everything” there I actually mean “very little, so please give me lots of stuff”), I recommend to you my Amazon wishlist, complete with headphones, DVD boxed sets and music. Take special note of the “love to have” selections, if you would. Much thanks.
This has been a public service announcement brought to you by the “Karel Wants Neat Stuff For His 33rd Birthday” Committee.
Also, I’m thinking of throwing a 33-1/3 Birthday Party in July. (It’s the RPM of an LP record, don’t you know.) Tell me that’s not the coolest idea you’ve come across all afternoon. Go on, I dare you.
(Please note: You don’t have to buy anything specifically from Amazon. Nor are you limited to items on that list. The list is provided solely for the purpose of those who, like myself, draw a complete blank when faced with the task of choosing gifts for friends and loved ones.)
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CSI(:Vegas) Drinking Game
In case you needed a drinking game for Thursday nights (hey, Friends is gone now, you never know), Lonita has prepared the following resource:
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Two go down, two come in.
So I took a good, hard look at my City of Heroes roster on the Protector server yesterday, and realized that at least two were never going to be much fun to play. (There’s a third that may or may not make the cut. I’m still debating on him.) Yesterday I blew out one of them, and this morning I blew out the other. In place of NeutrinoStorm and Myne alMyne are a new Defender and Controller (respectively) named R Ken Ettic and The Immaterial Girl.
Ken’s a Kinetics Defender, and Imma’s a Gravity/Radiation Controller. And now I remember why I didn’t play Myne very much: Controllers are hard to play in the early stages. Gah.
I’ll post screenshots eventually, but for now suffice to say that Ken’s a robot (as implied by the Asimovian naming scheme) and Imma’s in a getup somewhat similar to (but not exactly like) Sailor Jupiter, as Dawn noted upon first spying her costume in the game. Ah well. So it’s not like I’m ever going to win any costume contests…