1.5 hours later...

I figured out a workaround for my Yahoo! avatar (to the right, there) image. I think that sometimes programmers, in a well-intentioned effort to help the less-savvy consumer (or blogger, in this case) have a more streamlined experience in techno-communication. Thus, the new blogger templates with "widgets." Call me old-fashioned, and nerdy, but I found the classic HTML templates much easier to use, since I could actually see the code I needed to fix or change. I wasn't great at it, but at least I could figure out the location of the issue.

This question, of course, brings me to an issue in the personal computer war that I have spent much time considering: Macs vs. PCs for people-friendly interfaces. Here's the thing: PCs represent (or used to, anyway) a sort of technology designed around the geeks of the world: those users that were versed in regedit and dos (do you remember Tandy's first "desktop" program?! So. Cool. I spent hours playing with those settings.../sigh. The old days) or at least those users adventurous enough to just dive in and figure it out. Macs, on the other hand, were specialized, right from the beginning. I remember when "Apples for Education" was all the rage and the cute rainbow symbol was a marketing tool for less expensive, less powerful, less geek-cool Apple computer. Now, that same Apple logo is translucent, or white, a representation of the graphic friendly, architecturally clean Mac.

The PC is powerful, cheap(er), ubiquitous, and generally easier to "figure out" for even mildly competent users. For instance, if I want to make sure that a program has been completely cleaned from my system, I can easily access the registry and search for log files to delete, etc.

The Mac, also powerful, costs a whole lot more, and I have yet to figure out how to fix my darn machine if anything goes wrong. Interestingly, however, I've had my laptop since 2003, and it has NEVER crashed. Ever. Not a blip. I have had problems, however, on a more hardware level. First, the ultra-cool battery adapter that came with the system had an overly thin cord that wore through in less than a year, since I had to wrap it to keep it in my laptop case. On the Apple website, a new one cost nearly $100. On Mac Mall, I got an off-brand for under $40. It's still working. Second, my screen is doing this weird thing, as if the inner wires are not connecting properly unless I set it exactly perfectly. Thank goodness for PeachMac.

But it's so pretty... and I will insist that the Expose feature, along with amazing overall stability and incredible graphic/video capability (and the pretty), make the Mac a special kind of machine. I just hate that I can't fix it myself if I wanted to.

It's kind of like owning a Volkswagen. Oh, wait...



I guess I'm a sucker for pretty.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve!

Go here.

My little bro is in Hyderabad, India. Go read his ultra-cool blog about his trip!

Good morning!

You might be a cat owner if you laugh at this:




I laughed until I cried, but only because of the similar agony that Galaxy and Xander subject me to every morning.

Putting the "super" back in "supersonic"

I'm back! I'm trying to eat right, exercise, the works. After talking to the now-famous Mel (the Yarn Harlot blogs about her!!) I have decided that part of the plan for fitness must also include accountability. So...I'm going public. I have a link on the left, under "kicking" for my diet/fitness info that I will update daily.

Funny thing - when the world will have a record of one's eating habits, it's really tough to grab that handful of peanut-butter M&Ms and chow down.

If you're curious, check it out. Otherwise, keep moving. Nothing more to see here.

Happy Wednesday!

Always in style...

You Are

A Classic Pumpkin Face You would make a good pumpkin pie.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?

The wait is over.

I've dreamed of fame for most of my life. I've never really yearned for the "fortune" half of that colloquialism; I've just always wanted my name in lights.

And here it is.

I guess I really am a force of nature. (bah-dum-dum-crash!).

By the way, for those of you just joining us for "Heroes," Mel sent me this link to the corresponding online, interactive graphic novel. I've only flipped through the first chapter, but it has already impressed me, in terms of both the artistic content and the storyline.

On that note, I'd like to relate a brief conversation that B and I had about the quality of writing on television these days. Although we bemoan the dearth of good programming with the advent of the "reality TV" shows - and, yes, even Project Runway has its critics - Bryan proposed that the subsequent excess of writers-without-jobs actually creates higher-quality writing for the remaining shows. Sort of an Adam Smithsian effect in Hollywood: low demand, high supply means that producers have their pick of the litter.

I suppose that means that all of the fans of "Lost," "Battlestar Galactica," "Heroes," "House," and pretty much all of the HBO serial programming should give a great big (albeit tongue-in-cheek) HOLLA! to "Flip This House!" and "The Bachelorette 17 (or whatever)." We, of the intelligent, articulate viewing audience thank you, Jessica Simpson, for your marital silliness. Thank you, too, Paula and Simon, for humiliating hundreds of wanna-be superstars. And you, MTV: we thank you for forgetting about that "music video" nonsense and turning to reality shows for your primary revenue.

We thank you as we watch polar bears prowl in the jungle and cheer as adorable Hiro stops time; as we ponder the weird disease of House's patient and despise the pathetic Dr. Baltar.

Go reality TV!

Ouch.

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Who knew?*

Clearly I'm reading other folks' blogs because I stole the idea from Anita.**


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*Rhetorical question. I know, I need to post more. Yadda-yadda, etc.
** Shameless plug.