One way to fix Vista: buy a new PC

I’ve complained about my Vista woes here before since I upgraded from XP back in April. Well, apparently the solution to my Vista problems was just to buy a new PC.

Thanks to a 20% off coupon found through my slickdeals.net RSS feed, I purchased a “built-for-new” (i.e., not refurbished) Dell Inspiron 530 desktop from the Dell Outlet. For under $450 I got a system with an Intel Core2 Quad 2.4GHz processor, 3gb of RAM, 640gb hard drive, 16x DVD+-RW dual layer burner, 19-in-1 media card reader, built-in wireless, keyboard, mouse, Vista Home Premium, and MS Office 2007 Home/Student edition. Not a bad deal!

Once I had the new box running, I moved over my ATI Radeon 2600HD video card from my old PC so I could still have my dual-monitor setup. Then I spent a few hours over the weekend copying over gigabytes of files, documents, music, photos, videos, etc. from the old PC (via crossover cable) and also re-installing and configuring my applications and utilities.

Ok, so I have to admit that Vista runs a lot nicer on my new PC. I haven’t run into any of the problems that plagued me before (especially the annoying disconnect my iPod, lose the wireless network one) and the OS has been running pretty smoothly so far. Only time will tell for sure, but at least for now I’m happy again!

One small thing I didn’t plan for: the 530 has no PS/2-style keyboard or mouse ports. As a result, I was unable to connect my old Logitech Cordless Elite Duo wireless keyboard/mouse combo as the charging base/receiver used a PS/2 connector for the keyboard. I didn’t have a PS/2-to-USB converter handy so I ended up just using the Dell-supplied keyboard and mouse for now. The keyboard is actually a lot smaller than my old one (due to the lack of all the various multimedia buttons, none of which actually worked under Vista anyway) and a lot quieter, so I’ll probably end up sticking with it.

WIJFR: Boiling Point

When the US goes broke, the states break loose and people across the country get caught in the chaos. The Lakota rise up in the north and Texas breaks free in the south. Meanwhile, Steve just wants to get back to Illinois with his love life intact. Mack, an Ozark militia member doesn’t want his friend to sign up but knows they can’t succeed without him. And a Texas Congressman struggles with his conscience and a manipulative Governor. Can the country stay together? Can the people?

“Boiling Point” is a novel written by CNET’s Tom Merrit. I listen to Tom on the Buzz Out Loud and East Meets West podcasts (and occasionally TWiT) where he’s mentioned the book quite a few times, so I decided I should check it out. I grabbed the PDF version and converted it via iSiloX so I could read it on my Treo in my spare moments.

The premise was interesting: North and South Dakota break off from the U.S. under the leadership of the Lakota Nation, which prompts Texas to seceed as well. From there it’s a series of falling dominoes as other parts of the United States join together and break off into separate countries. The book follows the path of several characters in different parts of the deteriorating United States of America and their experiences as the country changes around them.

I didn’t really enjoy this book, however. Maybe it was because I read it in spurts on my Treo when I had the time, which made it a bit disjointed. Maybe it was the multiple first-person narratives which I found made it difficult to track who was doing what and where. Maybe it was the premise which I found unrealistic (I know, I know, it’s fantasy but I still didn’t “buy” it). Maybe it was because the book seemed over-heavy on dialog (a lot of the backstory is told via transcripts of NPR-like radio broadcasts). Maybe it was all of those things.

It reminded me a bit of “The Man in the High Castle” by Philip K. Dick, in terms of an alternate history story, but I didn’t find it as gripping. If you’re a politics or history buff, it might be worth the read but overall I just found the whole experience mediocre.

Tampa Bay Rays: 2008 ALCS Champs!!!!

What an ALCS series … Boston tried to come back from another 3 games to 1 deficit but couldn’t quite pull it off. They had the bases loaded in the 8th but David Price shut them down and then finished ’em off in the top of the 9th. Final score: 3-1. Fantastic! Congratulations also to Matt Garza, the MVP of the 2008 ALCS.

Anyone remember this Sports Illustrated cover from back in May? 😉

Bring on the Phillies!

WIJFR: Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present

In these quirky, brashly engaged “stories of the future present” Cory Doctorow shows us life from the point-of-view of the plugged-in generation and makes it feel like a totally alien world. — Claude Lalumiere, Montreal Gazette

“Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present” is a collection of short stories by Cory Doctorow. It consists of:

  • Printcrime
  • When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth (my personal favorite)
  • Anda’s Game
  • I, Robot
  • I, Row-Boat
  • After the Siege

Since Cory publishes all of his work under the Creative Commons license, you can download all the short stories for free, in various formats. I read all of them on my Treo 680 using iSilo.

If, after reading “Overclocked” you want more, I highly recommend “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.” You’ll never look at Disney World the same way again.

A night out at the ballpark … at home

Since I couldn’t get tickets to the first two ALCS games here in St. Pete and today’s Game 3 was early, we decided to do baseball night for dinner.

I fired up the grill and cooked some hamburgers (well, turkey burgers) and hot dogs, we baked some pretzels, served some drinks (I had a beer) and then turned on the surround sound and watched the game in HD in the family room. It was just like being there … except without annoying Boston fans, people constantly crawling over you to get out of the row, lines for the bathroom, and much comfier seats. 😀

What a game … total domination by the Rays in Fenway as they win 9-1 and take a 2-1 game lead in the series. Go Rays!!

Now I’m watching the Brows on Monday Night Football … the first time they’ve been on MNF in five years. They’ve taken an early 3-0 lead over the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, but as a realist (and lifelong Cleveland fan), I don’t expect that to last.

WIJFR: Mariel of Redwall

Heaved off her ship in a pirate raid, Mousemaid Mariel is washed up on the shores of Mossflower. With no idea where she is, or indeed who she is, the young warrior mouse embarks on an unforeseen adventure that will take her to the very heart of Redwall and into the arms of the people who live there.

So I’ve finally caught up with my daughter and finished the fourth book of Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, “Mariel of Redwall.”

Just like J.K. Rowling’s first few Harry Potter books, I’m beginning to see the pattern in Jacques’ novels:

  • new enemy/bad guy is introduced
  • all is peaceful at Redwall
  • an event occurs that requires some Redwallers to leave on a perilous quest, directed by the spirit of Martin the Warrior and mysterious Abbey writings/poems/riddles, joined by other friends along the way
  • while the questing party is gone, Redwall comes under attack and must be defended by the peace-loving Abbey dwellers
  • the Abbey is successfully defended, though some lives are lost
  • the questing party returns successfully to the Abbey
  • a final journal entry by an Abbey dweller sums up the final events and links to the other books in the series

The one difference in “Mariel” is that the main protagonist is a female mouse. Otherwise, the book falls into my outline above as follows:

  • Gabool the Wild, king of the sea rats, has captured a magnificent bell intended for the badger lord of Salamandastron.
  • Redwall is still being constructed, with the current project being the bell tower (hint hint) 😉
  • Mariel the mousemaid arrives, discovers an old poem that describes how to get to Terramorte Isle, and then leaves on a quest to kill Gabool and avenge her father Joseph the Bellmaker. Dandin (mouse), Durry (mole), and Tarquin (hare) accompany her northwards.
  • a gang of sea rats, led by Graypatch, decide to besiege the Abbey intending to be the new rules of Redwall and enslave its inhabitants.

I can’t really go into the final points without giving away major plot lines or spoilers, but suffice it to say it follows the pattern. 🙂

While these are primarily books for younger readers, I have enjoyed them. While I was reading “Mariel” I was giving my daughter daily updates on my progress. She was always excited to remember certain sequences or events and discuss them with me. She was also very good about not spoiling any upcoming surprises. She also loves the maps in the front of each book, which show a little bit more of Mossflower Woods and the surrounding lands in each story.

Next up is “Salamandastron,” which we’re going to read together like we did with the first two. It takes a little longer, but it’s our fun bedtime activity.

Take On Me, the literal version

a-Ha’s “Take On Me” was a groundbreaking music video. I still remember seeing it for the first time on MTV at my grandmother’s house back in the 80s (we didn’t have cable at home). Here’s a hilarious version of it that explains what’s really going on. Pipe wrench fight!