The new year is coming...

My resolutions:

1. Enjoy Life
2. Remember the past, do not dwell upon it
   
3. Lose 15lbs... I may not look it, but I've got a gut that needs bustin'
• Work out @ least 3 days a week after work.
  
4. Update my MCSA certification to 2003
   
5. Pass my Security+ Examination to attain my MCSE
6. Take Six-Sigma Classes
   

Dreams of my father...

I've been having dreams of my father lately. Quite vividly in fact. In them, he is as I remember him alive. Healthy, happy, proud, and always while doing things he enjoyed. I view everything in my dream as if it were the present and the thought of his death was just a horrible nightmare. Then I wake up to the harsh reality that he is no longer here and that reality is my nightmare. I haven't had a sound sleep since his passing. I wake up in the morning drowzy and thinking for a brief moment that my father is still alive and well.

It's difficult imagining my world without him. We hadn't spoken for almost 5 years, mainly because of his stubbornness and my inability to always understand him. We had since made up and I was much happier. Now when my wife and I decided to have kids, they could have grandpa to look up to and respect. A grandpa that I never had...a father that I was so proud of. Yes, they would have my father-in-law, but he is in Japan. Here was the man that made me into who I am today. Gone...in this nightmare called reality...

My father committed suicide...

And I feel like I"m the one to blame... I...He told me he was depressed...but he would never say what about...only that he wanted to kill himself... I fooled myself into thinking it was just the medication talking...He pulled through it before...or so I thought...My father and I never had an emotional relationship so I felt like I didn't know what I could do for him if anything... I thought...he was smarter than this...that he had the brain power to heal himself... He kept telling me that he wasn't that strong, but I refused to believe...I believed in the power of his soul and essence...Or was I fooling myself...I don't know..............I just don't know...................................................

The Dogs of Nutritech

Nothing I can really much say about this.

Major League Eater!...?

The wife and I met Takeru Kobayashi, the former Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Champion, and all-around top-ranked eater. We met him @ the Fremont street experience in Las Vegas, NV. Spike TV was having a "Chowdown" event called Battle of the Bird. The first event was a cranberry sauce eating contest, followed by the main event, eating a 20lb turkey in 8 min..... It was crazy.. In the downtime, we were able to carry on conversation w/ Takeru about how he started into eating, about his latest jaw problems, and misc. other stuff. Overall, it was a fun night and just like on TV, Takeru is a really down to earth nice guy. We cheered him on, but because of his jaw problems, he was not able to win. Ah well. He's still a cool guy in our book.

Spokesdoggy?

I plan on making Ein the spokesdoggy for my mom's company, Nutritech. He's cute, loveable, and has a beautiful coat with the prospect of a long healthy life. Of course, the long life and beautiful healthy coat can be attributed to using products like Omegaderm, GeriZyme and GlucoZyme.

iPhone Rant

So I purchased an iPhone for my wife. It's sleek, slim, and all around beautiful. I've seen the reviews, done my research, but still I was not expecting something so....incomplete?
Here is a list of things I've noticed about the iPhone (including some obvious ones):

1. Games - Can't even purchase them off iTunes, non-existent
   
2. Free Customizable ring tones - It's either choose the defaults or buy a song and hack a 30 sec segment out of it for a total of $1.98 (You have to purchase the song then pay another 99 cents to use it as a ring tone)
• This might be OK for some people, but unfortunately sucks for those who want a simple funny 'ring' tone. Free @ that.
  
3. 2G Edge Network - This is pretty much a given and obvious problem.
4. GPS - No GPS to work w/ Google Maps
5. Compatibility - Many iPod accessories work, but many also do not.
6. IM - No native chat capability outside of SMS text messages. So like no iChat, Google Talk, MSN, or Yahoo Messaging capability.
• You can use Safari, the built in Web browser to go to iPhone.beejive.com, but this is not natively supported.
7. Camera - This thing lacks a Flash... so like, no pictures in a dark area.
8. Recording - Can't make voice memos or record phone calls
9. Memory - It's either 4GB or 8GB, no expansion capability.

I'm totally disappointed in Apple. At least half of the things wrong w/ the phone could be fixed through updates or opening the phone up to 3rd party applications. Hopefully they will fix them in the future. For now, I plan on sticking w/ my Sony Ericsson W810i

When is too much a good thing a bad thing?

I recently heard somebody say "Too much of a good thing is bad". Why is that? For that matter, what quantifies 'too much' especially in regards to a 'good thing'. Seems retarded to me. For that matter, what type of personality identifies w/ this statement, a pessimist, realist, or both? I really doubt an optimist would make this type of statement. Does that make me an optimist for thinking this phrase is retarded?

Mac and Parallels a combo made in he......

So I've had my Macbook Pro for a good couple months now and I bought Parallels along w/ it so I could run Windows along side the Mac OS. Let me just say, it rocks. I've been running Parallels in convergence mode (it's this way where you can use applications like Internet Explorer or Office 2007 as if it were running on the mac). I now use my macbook as my primary computer since I can run any application I want. (Mind you games, run 'ok', in which I switch to my boot camp partition for those.) Cost is still a huge factor though, because you have to buy the mac ($2500 for the mac, $80 for parallels, and about $150 - $300 for Windows, then factor in other software like Office and whatnot). It's definately an investment, but if you own most of the Windows stuff already, then you just pay for the mac and parallels software. Which, if you are lucky, you can get a good intel mac for cheaper refurbed or off of ebay.

Disgustingly Cute Ein Video

I love my dog, what can I say?

Animoto

This Animoto site is pretty cool. I highly suggest it to anyone who is looking to share their photos in a creative fashion.

Ever wonder how to make "bento"?

(Sections/Images taken from wikihow page)

While the Japanese term "bento" roughly translates to "box lunch" in English, this is not your average packed lunch. The goal with bento is to assemble a meal that is just as appealing to the eyes as it is to the taste buds. It's not uncommon for Japanese mothers to prepare an elaborate, playfully and creatively decorated boxed lunch to entice their children to eat all of their food when they're at school. If you're sick of bringing a sloppy sandwich to work or you'd like your kids to look forward to opening their lunch box, there's a lot to be learned from the bento tradition.

The whole "how to" can be found here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bento

Sprint's wait less campaign

http://www.waitless.org/?video=speedtie

1. Wait less.....All I could think was how much it sounded like weightless....
2. I was browsing a site and happened to notice the ad, something about tying your shoe in second (I obviously felt I needed help w/ this)
3. What first had me raise an eyebrow was not how quick he tied his shoe, but the "Duh, see how easy it is" expression the guy had on his face. I couldn't help but laugh.
4. I visited http://www.waitless.org/

There are some pretty funny videos on the site, don't know how many are actually true, but I know one thing, I'm going to be trying a couple of them @ home tonight. (Maybe I'll even try that turbo parallel parking).......

Internet Map

In Japan a company called Information Architects seems to have published a web trend map. Seems they've modeled it after the Tokyo Metro maps.
Information Architects Entry:
http://www.informationarchitects.jp/ia-trendmap-2007v2

Public Restrooms

It's been a while since I've used a public restroom. I mean I've used restrooms @ work, but that is reserved for employees. Now I work @ a college so there are a lot more people using these facilities. What I don't get is, what possesses a person to leave a chocolate log or beef stew in the toilet? I mean, is it really too much to ask to flush their little gift into the sewers!? Not only that, but there always seems to be toilet paper all over the floor.

What really goes through a persons mind when they perform this ludicrious act? Walk in, pull out a toilet seat protector, sit down, make a deposit, OH MY GOD, IS THAT THE TIME!! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!, spin the toilet roll like you are on the "Price is Right", wipe w/ whatever didn't hit the floor, pull up the pants hoping you don't leave tread marks, wet your hands, dry w/ paper towel throwing it to the floor, and bolt out of there like grease lighting...

I mean, COME ON!! I wonder if ladies deal w/ this kind of 'crap'.

Anger Management Wii Style

Ever wish you could just punch the snot out of someone. I've been having that urge lately. Then I realize, why the heck should I let anyone get me that annoyed? So I just pick up my Nintendo Wii Controller, make a Mii of the person that is annoying me, boot up Wii Sports and pound the snot out of them. It's strangely satisfying.

System Administrator Appreciation Day!!

YAY!! Finally a day where I get recognized for the things I do on the back-end. Like keeping systems connected, running, virus-free, backup safe, and overall working. http://www.sysadminday.com/

Our PR group is rewarding us w/ lunch today. I love my job.

Custom or Big Retail PC?

I get asked this question all the time. Should I go out and build a custom PC or buy a off-the-shelf PC? My answer is, totally up to you. I mean, you can buy a pretty decent Dell PC for around the same cost of a custom built. Do you like to tinker around, build your computer from scratch? Or are you the type that just wants to open the box, plug it in and go? Me? Well, depending on the mood I'm in, I may go either way. After building my first machine though, I'm more apt to go the Dell or off the shelf route? Why? Just cause I'm lazy, work on computers all day and would rather have someone build it, test it, and support it. Custom built is fun and all, but it can also lead to some headaches either during the initial build (returning defective parts, etc.) you would probably find yourself banging your head against the wall. I certainly did, cause I found out I had some bad RAM sticks, then a bad motherboard (two of the four RAM slots were bad). Then come to find out my RAM sticks weren't quite supported on my board. Not speed wise but voltage wise. I just wanted to play my games for petes sake.

Apple iPhone

So it's out. It's sleek, slim, and just all-around cool. Did I get one? No. Why? Plain and simple, no HSDPA support. Yeah, Wi-Fi is there, but for the most part, most places like Starbucks, Borders, etc have T-Mobile hotspots that you have to pay for to access. I have Wi-Fi @ home, but don't really care cause I have a Mac and/or PC that I can browse the web on. EDGE sounds like it would be fast though....Nope.... slow like AOL dial-up. Simply not worth my time, especially since I can get EvDO Rev A. speeds on my work provided blackberry. Just you wait guys, by next year, the 2nd Gen iPhone will come out w/ HSDPA support and possibly more storage. Then imagine this, talking over the phone w/ someone on your 2nd gen iPhone w/ a bluetooth headset, while browsing YouTube videos or using Google Maps to find that Starbucks nearest to you. Yeah..... I'll wait.

PS3 and Windows Media Player 11 Streaming

I was having issues where my PS3 was not seeing my Desktop Media stores. I had turned sharing on but was still not able to see it. It saw my laptop just fine so I knew the problem was w/ my desktop. I started scouring the web looking for ways to fix it, needless to say, I came up empty handed. I started looking through my system log and found that my "Windows Media Network Sharing Service" was not creating the share because my DRM was corrupt. Since I did not have any DRM media I was not concerned on losing it so I started searching on how to fix it. Here is what I came across. Hope this helps some of you out there. (I tried posting this to the playstation forums, but either the site was having issues or my computer was)
Just follow the procedures listed on this site:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810422

If you were like me and don't have any DRM protected stuff (Windows XP SP2), just do this:

1. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
2. Go to Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> Select "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)".
3. In C:\Documents and Settings\All Users you should see a folder named "DRM"
4. Rename DRM to DRMBackup or delete if if you don't care.
5. Then visit this website: http://drmlicense.one.microsoft.com/Indivsite/en/indivit.asp
6. The site above will repair your DRM instance, then unshare and share your media.

Provacative

Every so often I feel like I have thought provoking epiphany. Then I realize, I have nothing to write it down on, then it's gone. Yeah, coulda probably saved the world with that one... Oh well.

Apple's Mighty Mouse...Not so mighty for gaming.

Don't get me wrong, the mouse is really really cool. But I ran into an inherent flaw when playing a game. In the game, you hold down the right click to 'sneak' up against a wall, then while holding that down, you can left-click to shoot. Mighty mouse cannot handle it. It still technically acts as a one-click mouse. Other things, the scroll ball is cool, but it feels almost too sensitive. I'll just have to switch back to my Logitech bluetooth mouse for games.

Taxes

I probably should be filing my taxes here soon. I've been kinda lazy about it I suppose. It'll be a must-do task this weekend.

Dilbert Blog

I read Scott Adam's (Dilbert Cartoonist) blog every so often and always find myself laughing and sometimes even relating. I do suggest if you ever have a free moment to stop by his blog for a good chuckle.
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com

In short:
The one I read recently, he was talking about how he and his wife were walking about on a beautiful moonlit night. His wife says the all but obvious, "The moon looks beautiful tonight". Scott's reply, "It looks like the moon is going to crash into the Earth".....

I'm paraphrasing, so look to the his blog for the full effect.

Google

Didn't get the job, here are the reasons they gave:

1. Lacking Linux and Mac skills
2. They felt it would be step down for me from my current position in salary and skill.

So let's review:

1. Well duh! I told them my strong point was Windows and that I lacked linux and mac knowledge. They said that was fine.
2. I am currently an admin and this would have been like desktop support, but I think the linux and mac added a difficulty that would match. Salary was might have been a problem, but that would have been for me to decide.

Yeah, I feel I was dragged along for a pointless ride. But hey, I got a free flight to San Francisco, so I can't really complain.

Google, will they hire me?

It's been like 3 months. I should know by Tuesday afternoon whether I got the job? At this point, all I want to know is if I got it or not. Don't really care which since I've got plenty to do in my current job, but still. GEEEZ. I'm anxious beyond belief.

Y2K vs. DST

I came into IT after the Y2K changes. I'm currently working on updating all our systems for the Daylight Savings Time Changes. I have this feeling, that this is much more of a pain in the ass than that update was. Considering we've only had less than a year to prepare for this where Y2K was known about @ least 5 years ahead of time. I envy those in Arizona not having to update crap.

Crazy T-Shirt Folding Trick

I love showing this video to people. Not only because it's freakin cool, but because of the look and reaction on peoples faces after showing them this crazy t-shirt folding trick.

Low Expectations, Good Movie!

I'm afraid to admit, but the previews for Ghost Rider looked pretty good. I have never like this particular marvel character because I thought he was somewhat...boring. Regardless, I went to go see this movie on Friday and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the movie from beginning to end and it gave me some insight on the character.
Ghost Rider is cool, but I really think this one movie was enough.

Nike+iPod

I've had it a little over 3 months, but never really used all that much. Until recently when I found out a co-worker in ATL had one too. Now, I'm in a competition to run the most kilometers in 10 days. I started off good with getting 10km on the first day, it is now day 4 and I haven't run since. I have soccer practice today so I may be able to get in a couple of km, but it's going to be a pain in the ass to play soccer in running shoes. Anyway, that pansy is going down!!

Memory

I've resided myself to be lazy with my brain. In a sense, my plan is to keep my brain free to focus on tasks @ hand. So things like, remembering birthdays, anniversaries, going to lunch, and so forth is going to utilize technology. I've put everything in my Google Calendar with reminders being sent to my mail and phone. Not to say that birthdays or anniversaries are not important, it's just that if the technology is available to offload to, why not use it. It's just a more hi-tech "string on the finger".

Lost Pictures Found

I almost had a heart attack. I was looking for some pictures from my trip to Japan in 2005, then realizing that I couldn't find them in any of my computers, my heart nearly gave out. Luckily I remember making a copy of the pictures to disc to have them developed. Thankfully the wife still had the disc in storage. phew.....

Anna Nicole Smith and Marilyn Monroe

It's a news frenzy about the death of ANS. Yes, she may have looked similar to Marilyn Monroe, but the reality show that ANS left behind proves the simple fact that she was FAR from a beautiful person. Was her death tragic? Yes, to her newborn daughter. Anybody that has to go through life without the love of their birth mother is tragic. I would not wish that upon anybody.
Now the question comes into play, did she commit suicide? If so, she is one SELFISH bitch to have left her daughter behind. Yes, her son died before her. I can't even imagine how much that would torture my mother, but I, as her son, would be ashamed to call her my mother for performing such a selfish act.

Microsoft World or Mac World?

I've come to ponder the thought, would I be happier in a Mac world rather than a Microsoft world? The way things are....HEEEEELLLLL NO. Why? Can you imagine a world where not only the software is proprietary and closed source, the hardware comes from one place as well. Apple is the ONLY provider for Mac hardware. Hmmm, yeah I see supply and demand problems with this model.
Now if Apple were to adopt the model of Microsoft, here is the OS, put it on whatever the heck you feel like. Then it might be a different story, we might actually live in a Macdows/WinMac world.

LinuxWorld? Nah... too much work

Blackberry MDS

So I'm sitting here working my ass off trying to get BES MDS to work. I finally have it working, but I have no idea how to register devices. Then since upgrading to 4.1 SP2, LCS seems to be a working option now. Cool, but how do I get Enterprise Messenger installed on my blackberry now? Do use MDS to push it out? I'm looking on blackberry's site, I'm dizzy and sleepy. urgh....

Google Docs/Spreadsheets or MS Office Suite?

I have people ask me all the time. Is Microsoft Office worth it? Short Answer is yes. You can really do alot with it, but the in-depth stuff probably requires training. Then people ask, Google has docs and spreadsheets for free, is it better than office? Short Answer, yes and no. It's awesome because it's free, provides probably the most used features, and is available online so you can access your docs and spreadsheets from any internet connection.
Is it better than MS Office though? No.
It simply is free alternative to the more powerful and robust MS Office. Your imagination is pretty much the limit in the things you can do w/ Office. In fact, if you have Office, you can use Google docs and spreadsheets as your online repository. The downside is that if you use those advanced features, they may not translate very well. (I'd say 90% of people don't use those features)
In my opinion, Google is simply trying to fill in the gap for personal and small business users who don't want to spend alot on a functional spreadsheet application and something better than the standard wordpad/notepad. So if you have Office, why not utilize the strengths of both?

Germany or Deutschland?

This leads me back to the same thing, Japan or Nippon/Nihon? Germany or Deutschland? In Japanese, we refer to Germany as Deutschland. Just as probably everybody else. So where does these labels come from? Are they of English origin? I've researched some of these questions, but everything I find seems to be inconclusive as to where the word Japan came from. I just thought of Germany recently, so I haven't looked into that yet.

Long Posts

From what I understand, blog posts are supposed to be short and concise. Being that this is a rant, am I to be confined to the short and concise. Maybe, maybe not, but I suppose that all depends on how many people read my rants. So yeah.......................... I was thinking I had a point, but maybe not...................hmmm...........brain fart............so, uhhh, concise.......right....... I'm done.

Mac or PC?

Apple certainly makes their machines sexy and with the advent of Boot camp and Intel Core Duo 2 Processors, they make it really difficult for me not to want one, being the PC/Windows whore I am. Now, I am by no means an Apple hater. I've always pointed anyone in the direction I felt they were going in life with the proper OS to help them succeed. For those artsy folks, I've always pointed them toward the Mac. Especially since OS X. It just screams design and in my opinion, Apple makes it easy for those artisticly talented individuals to express themselves.
For the business oriented type, Windows. Office is great, support is out there, and it covers the world twice over. As an administrator/control freak, Windows is my beloved slave. It can be a nightmare to update every month, but that can be automated.
Anyway, I've been contemplating getting a Mac these past months because the OS intrigues me and I just love playing with editing tools, such as those included in iLife. All in all, it just looks fun to play with, and I would be able to install Windows XP/Vista on a really cool looking laptop.
I was recently reading this blog though and I was thinking, yeah, these things would really annoy me:
http://theappleblog.com/2007/01/29/windows-features-os-x-should-adopt/

Then I started thinking about other things that would really annoy me:

1. If I bought a MacBook Pro as is, the slot drive is not modular. With HD-DVD and blu-Ray on the horizon, it would be really nice if I could just buy an HD-DVD or blu-ray drive after the fact and simply swap it out like most other laptop manufacturers (Dell, HP, or Gateway)
2. The weird memory max of a MacBook Pro, 3GB? By standard memory calculations, this is TRULY a strange number, maybe it's the PC side of me.
3. When I inquired to people who bought a MacBook Pro and installed Windows, the keyboard strokes become "funky". Like to do certain things, like copy and paste, are different keystrokes. (I'm paraphrasing so this might not be verbatim to the example that was explained to me, but I remember being baffled.)
4. The single mouse button the macbook, simplicity is good and all but GEEZ!!! I would have to punch a baby if I didn't have my right-click function. Although, from what I understand, place two fingers on the touchpad or something of that sort works in the same fashion. Still kinda up in the air about that.
5. Price and proprietary. It's alot easier to do a comparision between Macs and PC's now. Unfortunately, this also leads to much more difficult justification in paying up to 1.5 - 2 times more for a sexy Mac than an equivalent Dell or HP.

Even with all this, I still can't help but find myself wanting one. ARGH!!