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Looking For Quacks In The Pavement

  • Stupid Windows (and,) AmphetaDesk Rocks

    We modem share in this household. That is, the server (in my room) has the modem, and everyone else utilizes the bandwidth (meager as it is) of that modem. Windows 2000 Server provides a way to share the bandwidth, as well as a “dial on demand” feature.

    That feature seems to have gone insane lately. When the connection drops (as modem connections are wont to do) what sometimes happens is a double-dial. That is, a dialing session on top of a dialing session, and each interferes with the other. That’s not the annoying part. What really gets my goat is when, after one of those, you can’t get it to dial at all. Windows claims that some other connection attempt is being made, which is clearly a sack of horse manure.

    So I have to reboot in order to get online again. I have just now done this. Yay.

    I was originally going to write about AmphetaDesk, a really nifty RSS/XML feed aggregator. Instead I’ll just link to it and suggest that you check it out if you read more than a half-dozen blogs/journals/thingies regularly. It’s a damned nifty timesaver.

  • In the home stretch.

    We’re getting near the end, folks. As of now there are only four more required postings before the end of the ‘thon. I’ve spent some quality time with a good book, but now I think I’m going to try some more anime on for size. I don’t even know which title yet, but I’ll find out.

    See you at 4:30…

  • Three More To Go

    It hit me in this past half hour… I’m really starting to feel the exhaustion. Luckily the Blogathon group remailer and a very kind comment left here are all encouragement to keep going. Ninety more minutes, that’s all it takes.

    Oh, and the X TV series? It’s very pretty-looking so far, but I’m not sure if I’m going to like it. We’ll see… but not tonight. Clearly watching subtitled anime is not the right idea at this hour. Some other time perhaps.

    Speaking of which… see you in half an hour for the Final Hour Timecheck. Huzzah!

  • Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Now, with only one hour (therefore two posts) remaining in Blogathon 2003, I’d like to thank everyone who pledged a donation to the World Wildlife Fund on behalf of Your Favorite Little Grey Duck. Thank you Jenn, Wendi, Erin, Amy, Iris, Jayn, Marty, Sam, Mari, David, Sarah, Lilith (& Geoffrey) and Paul. Collectively you pitched in a total of $183! You should all feel proud of yourselves, and I’m proud to have inspired each of you to give a little something.

    Sincerely, truly, I thank you all.

  • A spot of old anime humor.

    Since this will be my final “substantive” post for the ‘thon, I figure it should be funny. And so, for your amusement, straight from the email archives, it’s…

    50 Things I Learned About Life From Watching Anime:

    1. War sucks.
    2. You CAN have too many women.
    3. Smart people wear glasses.
    4. Music foreshadows plot.
    5. The less you care about sex, the more opportunities you’ll get.
    6. (Inversely, the harder you try, the less you’ll get.)
    7. When you die, make a long speech, and don’t finish the last sentence.
    8. Snow means love.
    9. The best teams come in fives.
    10. In space, you can hear everything.
    11. There’s always room for flashbacks!
    12. When in China, listen to your tour guide.
    13. The good guy always has the BLUE glow.
    14. Speak quietly, pilot a big mech.
    15. Believe in goddesses.
    16. Teachers have excellent aim with small objects.
    17. Vengeance with a mallet is the sweetest revenge of all.
    18. Honor is sexy; villainy is irresistible.
    19. Women are attracted to losers; men are attracted to, well, ANYTHING.
    20. The coolest weapon is still the sword.
    21. The hero is never really mad until they hurt his girlfriend.
    22. Female androids are sexy; male androids are….male androids.
    23. The green-haired alien girl will always betray her people for the man she loves.
    24. School uniforms are cool only when the collar is open.
    25. A show without sexual tension isn’t worth watching.
    26. Love knows no race, species, or logic.
    27. If it’s homemade but tastes bad, grin and bury it (discreetly).
    28. Never trust a huge corporation.
    29. Romance never comes simpler than in a triangle.
    30. Never fall for the girl who names her mech with a French name.
    31. Never fall in love with a psychic.
    32. You can never have too much hair.
    33. Sweating is a sure sign of stress.
    34. Daydreaming leads to accidents.
    35. Everyone wants to conquer Japan.
    36. The cute, fuzzy creature isn’t what it seems.
    37. Cherry blossoms mean nostalgia.
    38. Always take gravity into account.
    39. Settings and faces are self-generating.
    40. Losing your temper can be therapeutic.
    41. There’s nothing sexier than high heels on a mech.
    42. You can never have too many subplots.
    43. If she sings, she’s doomed.
    44. You always remember the sad endings.
    45. Double suicide is romantic.
    46. Outrageous vehicles only make the hero cooler.
    47. Nothing delays romance like unruly neighbors.
    48. Fancy ice cream is for girls only.
    49. The most virtuous character will die.
    50. Hot water has innumerable benefits.

    See you in half an hour for the grand finale!

  • Blogathon 2003 – Final Post

    This entry concludes my first participation in the Blogathon. I think I made a decent job of it, posting bunny pictures and linkage and reviews and bits and pieces of what-not. It could’ve been better, it could’ve been a helluva lot worse.

    Personal thanks go out to Wendi for sustenance and support and (in one notable case) journal fodder, to Alex and Erica for being here and keeping me entertained before bedtime, to Mari for stopping by, to Lilith for calling to say hi, and to Jenn, Dawn, Annessa, Larry, Jaymi, Dalemar and random fellow ‘thonners who chatted or emailed their support and encouragement. I wouldn’t have managed this little feat of geeky endurance without you.

    Was I crazy to sign up for and take part in this worldwide extravaganza? Of course I was. The craziness was for a cause, however, and it also provided a challenge. One should challenge oneself every so often, wouldn’t you agree?

    So now it’s getting light outside, and I wonder how much sleep I’m going to get. Honestly? I’ll probably only sleep for a few hours. Such is life, I suppose. It’s not as though I had to do anything major with my day (other than a surprise bonus day of loading and unloading Wendi’s DJ equipment).

    Let’s do this again next year, shall we? Of course we shall. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. G’nite! Or, good morning…

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